


Forgotten Realm

by Neeko96



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Spyro the Dragon (Video Games)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dimensional Gates, F/M, Forgotten Realm, Gems, Hiccup learns about dragons, I making it make sense, I prefer the orginals too, Includes the original trilogy, Magic, Portals, Spyro and Cynder get lost, Toothless learns a cool thing, which I made work in the Legend trilogy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:07:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26844115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neeko96/pseuds/Neeko96
Summary: Life is good in the village of Berk. Dragons and people get along like they didn't spend 7 generations killing each other. Now that they are working together though, it seems there is far more to explore... and far more to discover when two strange dragons wash up on the shore. A lost history is about to unfold. (This also merges the 2 Spyro Trilogies to make them make sense... For the most part.)=^-^=
Relationships: Cynder/Spyro the Dragon, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Kudos: 15





	1. Lost in the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> This cross over fic was requested by may friend, and fellow writer, dracologistmaster. They've just been so supportive of me and my stories over the years, and I hope they like this story. It'll be short, but hopefully good. Most of this first chapter was written by him (its about 40%me) After this chapter it's all me. Please enjoy.=^-^=  
> (Also, sorry if the first chapter seems boring, but it just sets up where both universes will be starting. It should be more interesting in chapter 2 and beyond)

It was dark, but not a natural dark. The clouds around them seemed to speak more for the mood than the location or time of day. The clouds flowed over, greying the sky as they dove for dear life through the cloud that surrounded them and in sight of the dark stoned beach with their hunter diving after. Narrowing its eyes and tucking its wings tighter against its back in an attempt to catch up to the Night Fury and human the beast prepared another column of fire, building up the gas in the back of its throat.

"Hold, Toothless." Hiccup said, calmly placing a hand on the Night Fury's head as he closed his eyes listening for the right time to strike. "Now!" He shouted as his eyes snapped open. Flipping around to launch his own fire ball into the gas cloud in the monster's mouth, Toothless flipped back over snapping his wings open to catch the air and slow him down, enough that the monster could finally see where it would meet its doom. Though as he tried to navigate the beasts spiky back, the prosthetic tail failed. Snapping off as the abused and burning leather and metal contraption could take no more. "No!" Hiccup shouted as the beasts clubbed tail came up as if it were taking revenge on them from the grave.

The massive club hit them hard knocking Hiccup from the saddle and earning a fearful roar from Toothless, who immediately dove towards his rider and friend flapping his wings as hard as he could to get to Hiccup before the boy fell into the fire. Though it didn't look like he would make it Toothless refused to give up and with one final push he was just within reach, but he would have to do something he swore he would never do to the boy. Lunging toward the leg he could reach Toothless bit down hard on the boy's leg and dragged his limp body into his fire resistant scaled protection.

After that, everything seemed to blur as the fire entangled them. Shouts from around them permeated the light as it slowly died, the dragon couldn't tell much from them and the unconscious boy could do little to help. After a few minutes a familiar bulk loomed near and Toothless gave a weak smile as he thought over what that meant. He took a deep breath before unfolding his wings and saw a reaction from the Viking. A small huff of air from his son's lungs and the faint beating of his heart told Stoick everything he needed to know. "He's alive, he's alive, you brought him back alive!" Stoick shouted holding his son close.

"Well, most of him anyways." Stated a blonde mustached man looking down at the boy's missing leg. With relief the dragon lowered his wings as the man took up his son; just knowing his friend was alive seemed to release the tension he had been feeling.

"Oi! The dragons!" This shout, however, caused the tired dragon's tension to return as he pushed himself up to see the problem. The dragons who had flown away before had now returned in mass to surround the Vikings. "What do we do Stoic!?"

The chief seemed to think it over and it relieved the Night Fury to no end that he had not once reached for his weapon. The rest of the warriors were on edge as they awaited a decision while holding their blades tight. Stoic then turned to the burned ships littering the shore. "We have no reason to attack them now…." There were several amazed expressions as he continued. "What we need to do is get home." He held his son in his arms as he gazed at the sunken fleet. "Now how do we….?" He then remembered the other teens who'd flown in on dragons and turned to the reptilian horde. "But how do we?" He asked as he turned to the teens in question and gestured towards the dragons.

Toothless slowly made his way over with exhaustion on his features. He stopped beside the chief while taking a glance towards his human rider. He let out a low roar and a few growls before the dragons began to stir and spread out. It wasn't long before they started grabbing Viking's left and right and flying off with them on their backs, though many of the men seemed very uncooperative. Stoic looked down at the Night Fury with a raised brow and nodded in acknowledgement. "I guess that'll do then."

* * *

The Nightfury's eyes snapped open at the sudden tug on his tail. He had been enjoying a relaxing nap on the grass outside Gobber's shop before several young children had run over to play nearby. One of them seemed to have tripped over his tail and was now scrambling to their feet. Toothless let out a grunt at the boy as he laughed and ran towards his friends. He decided to stand up since he was already awake and stuck his head through one of the many windows of the stall. It only took him a moment to find the human he was looking for as let out a whine to get his attention.

Hiccup turned to him with a smile. "Hey, bud, enjoy your nap?" He said with a grin. "Don't worry, we'll go flying as soon as I finish this last saddle." He was tying off the leather straps that would be used to fasten the saddle to the dragon. "Just a few more minutes." Toothless dropped his head on the window sill in impatience as he waited for his afternoon flight. The stall had been rather busy all day and so Hiccup, who was one of only two smithies, was also quite busy.

As the dragon looked longingly through the window another dragon came to his side. This dragon was a beautiful mixture of blue and yellow baring spikes crowning its head. "Hurry up, Hiccup, even Toothless is getting bored." The maiden at the dragon's side called.

The young man rolled his eyes as he pulled on the leather strap. "Not you too." He then laughed as he went over the piece in his hands. "The sky isn't going anywhere."

Astrid shook her head with a smile as she leaned on the window sill by the Night Fury. "That may be true but you should still hurry up."

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless hovered in the air as the young Viking scrutinized the approaching storm clouds in the distance. Astrid flew into his field of vision in slight annoyance. "What's up?" she turned to see what he was looking at. "A storm?"

Hiccup gave a nod as Toothless turned towards the village. "We should get back to the village before it hits."

Astrid gave a nod and turned back to the dark clouds. "Yeah, but it's a bit early for a big storm don't you think?"

Hiccup continued on towards the village. "Yeah, but I don't know, I just have a feeling about it." Toothless agreed with a whine as he looked back at his rider. "You too, eh?" He then turned back to Astrid as she followed on the back of Stormfly. "Better safe than sorry right?"

* * *

"You honestly think you can stop me!" A deep malevolent voice bellowed. "I am the Dark Master, I am eternal!" The large dark purple beast shouted as he lunged in for the kill. With only seconds to react two winged figures launched massive purple beams at the attacking behemoth, knocking him to to crystal surface in a matter of seconds as the world shattered around the two, now unconscious, forms. Minutes, possibly seconds later one of the two unconscious forms awoke to see the world going to pieces.

Malefor bared down on them again though the strangest creatures came up from the crystal to hold him back. Eventually he was dragged into the crystal, but the destruction continued. He thought they had stopped this from happening by stopping the Dark Master, apparently he was wrong. The other form awoke with a shake of her head before asking what had happened and why the world was still falling apart. The both of them flew up to take in the situation. "I don't know.." He responded.

The rest of the conversation was lost as the first flew down toward the deep purple crystal with a determined look in his eyes. The second stepped up behind the first form setting a claw on his back. "I love you, Spyro." She said as the world disappeared in a bright flash of light.

* * *

Now the two found themselves being tossed around while their surroundings seemed lost to their understanding. It was so abrupt a change as they were thrust from the emptiness into this turmoil, neither could seem to understand what exactly had happened. They could hear an empty howl as they were pushed up and around. "Where are we!?" The darker dragon demand in panic. She was doing all she could to keep close to the other dragon.

"I don't know!" He called back as the two were thrust down by the mysterious force. A flash went through their vision and it quickly became clear to the two that they were now somewhere new. The loud clamor around them was revealed to be rain with the flash illuminating the rampage as it pelted the dragons.

"Rain?!" Cynder questioned as she grabbed hold of Spyro with her claws.

"It's a storm!" He called back affirming her reasoning, as he returned the gesture hold. "Keep close!" The wind, which was the force upon them, seemed to concentrate all its fury as it pushed them closer towards the ravaged water's surface. Exhaustion creeped upon them quickly as they fought back for their lives, but the unforgiving storm would not be persuaded as their consciousness was swept away in the waves.

* * *

"That one sure was a one heck of a storm eh, Erik?" The Viking nodded as he pulled up the net in his hands.

"You're tellin me." He then gestured towards the net as a barrel was pulled up in it. "It downed two ships, and they were docked. Not to mention the number it did on the dock. I bet the village above would be in no better state had it not been for all those reinforcements for the dragons."

The other man laughed. "True! So will ya be headin up to watch the race today?"

Erik thought a moment and nodded. "Aye, but I think I'll go a take my favorite spot along the shore first. It'll do me some good after cleanin all this up."

"That's ole Rustblade for you. You think so much and your blade'll get rusty." The man bellowed in a laugh.

Erik took no offense of course, this was a common joke about the village, but all knew he was a very capable fighter. He set out along the shore towards a large rock which he enjoyed pondering the day on whenever he found himself with a free moment. The villagers had come to call it "Rustblade Rock" because it was the most likely place for the man to be found out of the village.

He had just began to climb it when he noticed a strange bulge in the tide. He began to shrug it off as storm debris before he noticed the colors. He turned with a curious eye to see the purple hew he'd glanced was in fact what he had seen. When he approached the waters a bit more it became clear that what he was looking at was not wreckage but a strange dragon. He waded into the water and quickly noticed the error he'd made prior. It was not a dragon he had seen, but two dragons clinging together amidst the light sweep of the waves. "By Odin…?" He said to himself as he took a good look; he'd never seen dragons like these before. One was mostly purple with orange-yellow horns, spines, and wings, the other was mostly black and that added in with the dark waters made it harder to notice at first. The giveaway for this dragon was the magenta that made up its underbelly and the white horns adorning its head.

"….. oh boy…" He muttered as he scratched at the back of his head. As he looked them over he realized they were very much alive as one of the golden wings seemed to lazily spread over both dragons and caused the man to step back a moment. Once he realized they were still unconscious, he decided the best thing was to pull them out. Berk embraced dragons after all, and these had no dangerous history with the island. Their size also put the man a bit more at ease as they seemed only about the size of grunkles though they had lean figures. "Now what do I do with em?" He wondered to himself as he finished pulling them ashore. He then turned towards the docks where the walkway up to the village was and turned about. "Better let the chief know." And with that, he shuffled off at a brisk pace to alert the Chief of Berk of his strange find.


	2. Strange Surroundings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spyro wakes up and Toothless becomes very suspicious of him.=^-^=

As soon as Hiccup heard about the dragons, both he and Toothless made haste to see them. Stoic, of course, was the first to find out but, considering how things generally go, was surprised that Hiccup wasn't already on top of the new find. He waited patiently inside the academy where the new dragons were being held and waited for the resident dragon expert. After weaving his way through the growing crowd around the Dragon Academy, Hiccup headed straight for his dad with Toothless on his heels. "About time! I can't believe you took so long."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and gestured to the crowd outside. "Really, dad? It's not believable that I could be held up?"

Stoic waved it off and pointed towards the dragon cage behind him. "What do you think, Hiccup?"

The young Viking approached with care and took a good look over the two strange dragons. The first one he noticed immediately. They were a shade of purple with orange-yellow horns, spine fin, and wings. The second one took him a minute to fully see due to the poor lighting in the cage. It also didn't really help since this one was mostly black with their magenta belly being mostly covered. "Have they been out this whole time?"

Stoic gave a nod. "Ole Rustblade found 'em on the shore and dragged them into the village. I think maybe they were washed out by the storm yesterday." His deduction was sound since there were several puddles of water around them in the cage.

"I've never seen dragons like this before." He had to admit with excited interest. He quickly pulled out his note book and started a comprehensive sketch of the purple dragon. "Hey, Fishlegs." He called to the heavy set Viking while continuing his sketch. Once the asked for young man was beside him he pointed to the dragon he was drawing. "What do you think? Break it down."

Fishlegs gave the dragon a scrutinizing gaze as he took note of as much as he could see. "I'm thinking fast based on the size and wingspan… Also likely to be very maneuverable."

Hiccup gave a nod as he finished drawing. "That's what I was thinking, but what else? Like its tail?"

Fishlegs gave it some thought. "Well, it's shaped like a sort of club but I don't think that size would be very effective." He then gestured to the horns. "But those horns look good for charging. I'd imagine this dragon would be pretty maneuverable on land too."

Hiccup tapped the horns of his sketch. "Hmm? I'd have to agree there." He then crouched down to get a different view. "It doesn't look to be all that built for physical attacks aside from the horns and small clubbed tail, so it probably relies on a specialized attack. Maybe a unique fire breath."

"If it breaths fire at all." Fishlegs interjected.

"Good point."

"Geeks." They heard from the background which was followed up by a few chuckles and snickers. Snotlout was no doubt bored as he stood around with the twins who seemed to be calculating some sort of scheme.

Hiccup turned to them with a sarcastic expression. "Yes geeks, we must be boring you." Fishlegs covered a chuckle from Hiccup's sarcasm. "If you want, just leave."

Snotlout shook his head. "Have you seen the crowd? Besides, there's nothing better to do."

"How about some target practice." Astrid practically threatened as she shoved past him. Needless to say, he wasn't very amused as a scowl formed on his face. Astrid then continued over to them in interest. "Two new dragons?" She inquired as she took a good look at Hiccup's sketch.

"Yeah, me and Fishlegs were just going over some theories about them." He then flipped to a new page and began to sketch out what he could see of the second dragon. "Alright this one seems to be built pretty similar to the first one." Hiccup pointed out with the similar start in his drawing.

"Yeah, but this one has way more horns and spikes that seem to be more like blades." Fishlegs expressed as he pointed towards the wings and tail.

"Uh-huh, so this one is probably more for a melee attack." He then pointed towards the horns. "Those horns seem more for thrashing or protection over charging."

Astrid then looked over Hiccup's shoulder towards the darker dragon and seemed confused by something. "What about those metal pieces?"

Both boys turned to look for themselves. "Hmmm? You think maybe that's some sort of metallic bone structure?" Fishlegs proposed.

"No…. it looks more like actual metal….. and those bladed portions on the wings and tail too." Hiccup rationalized though Fishlegs countered rather quickly.

"No, these don't have the same shine." But that only left them back to where they were. Was this dragon wearing jewelry?

Hiccup eventually sighed. "I guess we can't really know unless we get closer."

"Though maybe we should wait until we find out how aggressive they are first?" Fishlegs proposed with a sheepish expression.

Both Hiccup and Astrid rolled their eyes. "Sure, Fishlegs." Hiccup allowed. "But I'm going to stay here a bit longer." Hiccup then turned to his dad. "I can't be completely positive here, but I don't think we need to worry too much."

The chief gave a nod before giving a bit more thought to it. He then seemed to come to a decision as he turned around. "Then we'll keep them caged until you can give me a better answer." He then gave a back glance to him. "If you're gonna keep watch over 'em, I don't see much point in placing guards, but I want to be informed immediately if they get out of hand."

Hiccup gave a nod of understanding. "No problem." He assured as Toothless sat down by the cage, knowing his rider was staying put. His dad then left and proceeded to shoo away the crowd since there really wasn't anything to see at the moment. Most everyone did leave, including Astrid who was determined to make good on her target practice threat.

As the sky shifted towards sun set, there were still a few passersby who would watch for a short while before leaving. Hiccup seemed to be the only one still hanging around as he continued to sketch several pictures of the dragons in an attempt to better understand them based on how they looked. He eventually set the book down as he felt his stomach growl. "Man I'm starved." He then turned to Toothless. "And I'm sure you're hungry too eh, Bud?" The Night Fury nodded enthusiastically from his laying position. Hiccup then stood up and brushed himself off. "Alright then, I'll just go and grab us some dinner. You keep watch over them alright?" The dark dragon nodded as he laid his head back down towards the cage and trilled. "I'm counting on you." That last part left a smirk on the dragon's face as he rolled his eyes. Who else would he rely on? He then directed his attention back to the cage as he watched the dragons for his human friend.

From the moment he laid eyes on them, they seemed strange to him. Hiccup wasn't the only one to think they were weird. All of the other dragons who've seen them seemed to have the same opinion. Just who were these dragons? His thoughts were interrupted when saw one of the golden wings fly up suddenly. The purple dragon seemed to be waking up as he folded up his wings from their sprawled out position around him. He groaned as he raised a claw to his head slowly. Toothless raised his head in attention as he watched the strange dragon begin to rise to his feet. "Owww….. my head….." He grumbled. The Night Fury couldn't believe what he was hearing as he looked at him in bewilderment. This dragon….. he spoke like one of the humans! As the purple dragon shook his drowsiness away, he eventually noticed the curious eye of the strange black dragon. He froze after turning to see, and the two of them traded curious expressions. They slowly turned their heads to the side in opposite directions before hearing a roar close by.

Stormfly swooped in and landed a few feet away from the dark dragon. "Hey, Toothless." Astrid greeted as she swung herself over and off the Nadder's back. She pat her dragon's muzzle a moment before turning to the Night Fury. "Where's Hiccup?" Toothless raised a brow before smacking his lips to indicate his hunger. "Oh, I guess I'll just wait for him then." She responded as she approached further. It didn't take her long to notice the new dragon watching her from behind the bars. She quickly dashed over to see in excitement. "It's awake!" She then turned back to Toothless. "Why didn't Hiccup say anything…. Does he know?" Toothless shook his head and turned towards the purple dragon. He then sat up in alert as he remembered him talking. His grunts and gestures only seemed to confuse the shield maiden as she raised a brow at him. "Um… okay?"

Toothless let out a frustrated sigh. She didn't understand him, but Hiccup would. He thought as he turned back to the dragon. Spyro continued to watch the dragons and the strange creature with them. What was it? He'd never seen anything like it before….. or her maybe? She sounded female, but he couldn't really be sure. That's when he remembered Cynder and began to look around frantically. He'd already realized he was in some sort of cage, and hopefully Cynder was with him. He was relieved to find her fairly close, but still unconscious. He moved her wing with his muzzle, and then moved to her chin to try and get her to wake. "Cynder…." He whispered to stay out of earshot. She didn't wake up, but he felt her shiver.

He hadn't realized with all the strange things that it was cold outside. He could tell the sun was setting from through the cage bars, and it would only get colder. He decided to leave her asleep while he looked for a way to warm them up. So far it didn't seem like they were in immediate danger so he felt it would be a good idea. A quick inspection of the cage revealed a few things. There was a trough of water, some hay in a small pile in the back, and an empty barrel that smelled like fish.

Outside the cage, Hiccup was just coming back into the arena when he saw Astrid and Toothless looking at the cage intensely. "Astrid?" He called as he set the large basket of fish down. She quickly turned and hushed him before turning back. She quietly gestured him over to look. The young Haddock came over in slight confusion before he noticed the movement within the cage bars. He quickly pulled out his notepad and began a new comprehensive sketch. The purple dragon seemed to be using his horns to push hay into a pile. He appeared especially careful to keep it away from any of the water puddles. He packed it down tight with his front claws before taking a step back. With a quick breath he blew out a puff of fire to instantly ignite the hay. "Amazing…." Hiccup marveled as he jotted down his observation.

Astrid seemed to laugh at him and shook her head. "Come on, Hiccup, lots of dragons can make a fire."

Hiccup shook his head in response. "But how many would go out of their way to keep the tinder from getting wet?" He pointed out as he gestured to the puddle the dragon had gone around when pilling the hay. Astrid looked in intrigue at the scene. She hadn't even noticed since she wasn't really sure what it was doing. "Has it done anything else?" He asked while continuing to watch the new dragon.

Astrid shrugged. "Not really? He was staring through the bars when I arrived."

Hiccup raised his pencil in thought. "He hasn't made any attempts at the bars?" He queried aloud. He then turned to Toothless. "What do you say, bud? You see him do anything when he woke up?" Toothless nodded vigorously before opening his mouth over and over. He tried to express his message with growls and grunts, but even Hiccup seemed confused by the motions. "He was eating something?" Toothless froze in surprise. He'd thought for sure Hiccup would understand. He then shook his head wildly before repeating the motion. He didn't get anywhere again as Hiccup furrowed his brow in confusion.

Toothless eventually grew tired of trying and instead looked back to the dragon in question. He roared at him in agitation, but Spyro simply glared back as he stood in front of Cynder. "Toothless!" Hiccup scolded as he pat the Night Fury's neck. "What's with you all of a sudden?" Toothless turned back to Hiccup and then to the purple dragon with a few disgruntled growls. Hiccup seemed to think over what his dragon was trying to tell him, but just couldn't put his finger on it. "I'm sorry, bud…." Toothless was disheartened by the admission and slumped down to lay his head over his arms.

Hiccup let out an amused sigh as he turned back to the basket. "Come on, Toothless, how about some Cod? I know it's your favorite." Toothless' ears perked up at that just before his head. He trilled at the mention of the fish and Hiccup tipped the basket in his direction. "Eat up, bud." The Night Fury quickly complied as he dove into the basket while Hiccup partook of his own cooked fish.

"I guess we won't be going flying tonight huh?" Astrid wondered as she looked towards the cage. The two dragons were now in the back with the burning hay. The purple dragon had moved the black one to be by the fire a little bit ago.

Hiccup swallowed a bite and looked back at them. "Sorry, Astrid." He apologized.

She seemed understanding, but disappointed as she nodded. "I thought so. It's fine, Hiccup, really. I had a feeling this would be the case back when you first saw them. I'm kinda surprised Fishlegs isn't still here."

Hiccup gave a shrug. "I think he said he was going to take a good look around where Rustblade found them." He then turned towards the nearly night sky. "Either way, I bet he'll be back tomorrow since it's getting late." The young Viking deduced before taking another bite.

Once they finished their meal, Astrid stood to leave. "Well I guess I'll get home. I'll come back by in the morning." She then paused. "You're not going to sleep here are you?"

Hiccup stood up to stretch. "I wasn't planning on it, no." He then turned to Toothless who'd begun watching the purple dragon again with determination. "Come on, bud, let's get some sleep." Toothless turned to him with a raised brow before turning back. "Toothless?... Come on." The Night Fury finally stood up, but only to circle his spot and warm it up with his plasma breath. He then plopped back down and continued watching the new dragon. Hiccup gave him an exasperated expression as he let out a sigh. "I guess we will be sleeping here…."

Astrid only laughed at the scene. "Determined….. or maybe just stubborn?" She mused as she looked back at Hiccup. While normally Toothless would always delight in the entertainment their flirtations provided, he decided to instead concentrate on the strange dragon. This dragon talked like one of the humans, and it made him very suspicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Needless to say, Hiccup's understanding of dragons is about to be turned on its head.=^-^=


	3. Uneasy Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fishlegs makes an interesting discovery and Cynder wakes up.

After several hours went by, Hiccup was fast asleep while Toothless struggled to keep his eyes on the purple dragon. The fire on the hay was nothing but smoldering ashes and the purple dragon seemed to be trying to cover the other with his wings. "Darn it…." Spyro let out in a whisper of frustration. With the fire gone, the chill was coming back. He'd need something else to burn if he was to keep Cynder warm and even he was cold now.

He eventually turned to the watchful Night Fury whose response was slightly delayed. He contemplated a moment before strutting close. Toothless, who was very aware by this point, gave him a wary glace. "Please…" Spyro whispered. "Could you bring more of that hay? Maybe wood? Anything I can burn?" At first Toothless was excited when he spoke again, but when he turned to Hiccup his excitement vanished. His partner was fast asleep, and he really didn't want to wake him up since there wasn't any danger.

"Please?" Spyro whispered again. Toothless gave him a contemplating look. This dragon, while very strange, didn't seem mean. The only time he'd looked threatening is after he'd been roared at. He let out a breath before getting up and wandering over to a supply chest. He found many pieces to things like targets and tables, and took out a few planks with his teeth. He then headed back over to the dragon and pushed them through the holes of the cage.

Spyro took them thankfully as he pulled them through with his own teeth one by one. Before taking them over to the other dragon, he bowed his head. "Thank you…." He paused a moment and brought his head back up. "Toothless?" The Night Fury nodded calmly before lying back down. Spyro then brought the planks over to Cynder and made a pile before lighting them up. Hopefully this would be enough to keep them warm through the night.

* * *

The first one to stir when the sun was barely up, was Cynder. She shivered slightly as she opened her eyes. "It's cold…." When her vision cleared she didn't realize she was in a cage right away, only that it was dark and Spyro was lying next to her with his wing draped over her. "Spyro….?" When she turned to see him she finally noticed the barred exit. Her confusion deepened at the thought. "Prison?" She stood up and allowed the golden wing to slip off her as she walked over to the door.

"Where are we?" She wondered quietly while thinking back to the last thing she remembered. There was the fight with Malefor, the world was breaking apart….. or was it? She looked around. "It's obviously still here." She deduced while thinking again. "We were suddenly in that storm…." She then felt herself shiver again. She bundled her wings in close while rubbing one claw over the other. "Just where are we?" She wondered again. Through the door she was able to make out two figures. One looked like a dragon, albeit a strange one, and the other….. an ape? No… "What…?" She approached closer to try and get a better look. She'd seen her fair share of apes and this was not an ape.

"Cynder!" Spyro called from behind in an urgent but quiet tone.

She turned back in relief. "Spyro-"

"Shh!" He insisted with a claw over his snout. "Stay quiet."

Cynder raised a brow before turning back towards the gate. "What's wrong?" She whispered before turning back his way.

He gestured for her to come back over before he explained. "Just make sure they don't hear you. I don't know where we are, but I have the strangest feeling about it."

Cynder nodded her head. "Me too…. It's hard to place."

Spyro agreed with a sigh. "I was worried when you didn't wake up yesterday, are you feeling okay?"

Cynder took a moment to think it over. "Aside from being in this cage, I think so. What about you?"

Spyro gave a nod before looking past her to the 'guards'. "Yesterday, I woke up and we were both already in this cage." He then looked back to Cynder. "This strange creature wouldn't stop staring at us like he'd never seen a dragon before even though there was one sitting next to him…. I'm pretty sure anyway."

Cynder turned back. "Then if he is a dragon, we should ask him what's going on. Why we're in here."

Spyro shook his head. "I don't think so, Cynder…. I never heard him speak. The other one did, but not the dragon. He only ever growled and snarled."

Cynder gave him a bewildered look. "He doesn't know how to talk?"

Spyro shrugged. "I don't know, but the other dragon didn't either. We should avoid talking in front of those other creatures until we get a better idea of what's going on."

Cynder gave an understanding nod before coming to a realization. "But what about the fight with Malefor…. And that storm?"

Spyro let out a sigh. "I know we defeated him but… I don't know what happened after…. I felt this urge, the crystal drew me in for some reason. Next thing I know, we are being blown around in this massive storm."

Cynder raised a claw to her head. "Yeah, I remember that too." She then let out a sigh. "And now we're….. somewhere else… I guess." She grumbled in a somber tone.

Spyro placed a claw on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "We'll figure this out, Cynder, I know we will." Their heart to heart had an abrupt end with a trill in their direction.

Both of them turned to see the strange dragon looking their way into the cage. He let out a lite growl as he stood. Spyro approached slowly and gestured for Cynder to follow. "Oh, he's awake." Spyro whispered. "This is Toothless." He introduced in a hushed tone. He was sure to look over towards the human before saying anything. Toothless looked to the new dragon in curiosity as he trilled softly.

"Hello…. My name is Cynder." She introduced with an unsure manner. He seemed to smile before turning over to look at his strange companion. As they watched him walk away, Cynder whispered back to Spyro. "I guess I understand what you mean now." Spyro simply nodded as he continued to watch the black dragon make his way over to the human.

The Nightfury nudged the young man with his nose a few times before hearing the groan of consciousness he wanted. "Aww come on, bud…" Toothless let out a low growl as he nudged him again. "….fine…." Hiccup whined as he slowly sat up. He scratched his head a bit with a yawn. "Okay, bud, ready for your morning flight?" When he looked around to find the Night Fury he spotted him sitting in front of the cage again. "Toothless?" He stood up and finally noticed that both dragons were looking back at them. "The other one's awake?" He questioned with rising excitement as he rushed over to the cage.

Cynder stepped back from the sudden action. Spyro turned back and gave her an assuring expression before turning back to him. "Oh, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." Hiccup tried to explain after seeing the dragon retreat. He himself took a step back to try and set them at ease. He saw the wary glance the smaller black dragon was giving him and he let out a sigh. This one seemed suspicious of him, way more than the purple one. "Okay…. I'll just go and get some food then. I'm sure you're both hungry right?" Cynder didn't move, but Spyro stepped up and gave him his attention. There was no way of knowing whether the gesture would translate, but given how the other dragon did things, he could only hope.

Hiccup gave a nod and turned to leave. "Alright then, I'll be right back." Despite the fact that Hiccup seemed to completely dismiss his always anticipated morning flight, Toothless was more than understanding. His rider always gets excited when he sees new dragons, and even the Nightfury was a bit curious.

Once Hiccup was out of sight Cynder let out a breath. "We should find a way out of here, Spyro."

He didn't disagree of course, but they could be jumping from the pan and into the fire. They didn't know where they were, and trying to escape could ruin the strange peace they have with these creatures. "Let's just wait it out a little longer okay, Cynder?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "Why? We don't know what they're capable of."

Spyro shook his head. "I don't think they're planning something horrible. So far they've only been curious."

Cynder turned and pointed to the cage. "They put us in a cage, Spyro! What about after their curiosity is gone?"

Spyro seemed torn at the idea. What if she was right? What if these strange creatures planned on enslaving them? He found his eyes drawn to the saddle that was strapped onto the larger black dragon. "But we still don't know anything about them and where we are. What if in leaving this place, we only find a new one that isn't so curious? I'm only saying that we should wait it out a little longer okay?"

Cynder looked frustrated but relented. Spyro had good intuition when it came to these situations. It had saved her after all, when many others didn't see anything but a minion of Malefor, he saw her. "Alright." She let out as she sat down and sighed. "But I don't trust them."

Toothless watched them talk curiously. Because they spoke like the humans, he understood most of what they said, but they were still so mysterious. They didn't seem to trust the humans, and he of course, didn't really trust them. While it wasn't a perfect situation, this could stand for now. Hiccup will know what to do, and if they turn out to be bad, he'd make sure they never hurt the humans. "Hurry up, Meatlug! We should show these to Hiccup!" Toothless turned to the heavy set Viking running down with a Gronkle close behind. He had a small straw sack in one hand which he constantly looked back too before stopping at the center of the arena. "Where's Hiccup?" He wondered once he saw Toothless alone.

"Looking for me?" Hiccup stated as he began down the ramp. He held a large straw basket much like the ones Astrid and Stormfly were carrying.

Fishlegs quickly turned and dashed over to him. "Check these out, Hiccup." He insisted as he held out the bag. "Meatlug and I found them washed up on the shore near Rustblade Rock.

Hiccup set the basket down and took the bag. After a short inspection of the contents he dumped a few strange crystals into his palm. They were of only two colors, red and green. "You just found these?!" He wondered in surprise.

"Yeah, Meatlug found the first one and then we waded out in the water a bit more and found these."

"Whoa, they're beautiful." Astrid commented as she looked at the small gem fragments in Hiccup's palm. "What were they doing on our coast?"

Hiccup slid them back into the bag. "Maybe a ship wrecked in the storm and this was on it?"

Fishleg's gave a shrug. "Maybe, but I would have rather found something that related to those new dragons." He then turned towards the cage and saw Meatlug and Toothless sitting in front of it. Only seconds later did he realize both dragons were awake and sitting by the cage bars as well. "Oh, Hiccup, they're awake!" He shouted in over excitement.

He tried to dash over before Hiccup stopped him by grabbing one of his arms. "Slow down, Fishlegs!" He almost fell over trying to keep the Viking in place. "You don't want to scare them."

The heavy Viking seemed to blush at his near mistake. He'd let his enthusiasm ruin many an encounter with wild dragons. "Oh… sorry, Hiccup." He then took a breath to calm himself down. "So what else have you learned about them? What kind of breath attacks can they do? What kind of abilities do they have?" He shot off one after another with enthusiasm only partially leashed.

Hiccup shook his head at the excited Viking. "Well, I know the purple one breaths fire, but the black one only woke up this morning. They're skittish so don't go crazy around it." He tried to explain as he approached the cage himself, slowly. "We should try and show them we're not a threat to them." Toothless let out a trill as he turned towards his rider. "That's right, bud." Toothless then moved away from his hand, which had perched on his head, and headed towards the basket of fish. "Oh right." Hiccup remembered as he too headed over. "I almost forgot." He grabbed several of the fish Toothless let loose from the basket and placed them in the lid like a bowl. "I'm sure a gesture of good faith could help it along." The young Viking added in as he went for the cage lever. "Hey, Astrid, can you get the canopy?" He directed as he pointed to the lever by the exit. She dashed over and the canopy slowly lowered at her behest. Once it was in place Hiccup pulled up the cage door that was holding the new dragons.

Both of them stepped back from the door as it rose up. "Spyro…" Cynder whispered, but he nudged her to stop her from finishing. Spyro then looked back at the strange creatures, and then more specifically to the one holding up a tray of fish.

"I'm sure you two are hungry." He then placed down the fish close to them and backed off. The purple one was the first to approach. He scrutinized the food before letting out a breath of fire over it. The gesture was surprising as all but the small black dragon moved back. Toothless took a pouncing position as he watched patiently.

"Whoa…. Hiccup, this is…"

"I know, Fishlegs." Hiccup interrupted as he raised a hand to stop him from approaching them. After about a minute or so, the flame stopped and the dragon once again inspected the food. He picked up a fish in his teeth and proceeded to eat after only a moment's hesitation. The other dragon watched a moment more before approaching herself and took a fish into her jaws. "This dragon cooks its food before eating it." Hiccup voiced to show his observation.

"I've never seen a dragon do that before." Fishlegs expressed with excitement in his voice.

"So, I was thinking, that black one." Astrid started as she looked between her dragon and the dragon in question. "It reminds me of Stormfly here."

Hiccup gave a nod. "Yeah, just based on what we see, they're probably a sharp class dragon." Hiccup then began to rub his chin a bit. "What I can't seem to place is the other one."

Fishlegs gave a nod of agreement. "Yeah, I mean based on basic characteristics he could be a boulder class. Those horns would be good for bashing, but the tail club is way too small to do anything serious." He then shrugged. "I can't really place it anywhere else."

"What about Stoker class?" Astrid suggested.

Both Fishlegs and Hiccup shook their heads. "The only thing it has in common with that class is the creative use of fire. Lots of other dragons in other classes do that too." Hiccup then kneeled down to get a better look at the dragons while not getting any closer than he was. "I'm thinking they may be adolescent." He suggested with a furrowed brow. "Just look at the proportions of the head versus the legs. Then take a look at their claws. It's as if certain physical traits have to catch up with one another."

Fishlegs took his own similar vantage point. "I think you might be onto something there." He scratched his head a bit. "But it would be impossible to guess since we have no idea just what species of dragon these are."

"Don't they look pretty similar though?" Astrid pointed out as she pat Stormfly's muzzle.

Hiccup gave a nod. "Yeah, but only in basic appearance. It could be a closely related species like the Screaming Death and the Whispering Death."

Spyro had long since stopped his meal in favor of listening to the humans. They seemed to be trying to figure them out, but some of it didn't make sense to him. Classes? Species? All dragons are supposed to be the same species. He was purple a dragon, but that only directs towards type since any dragon type can be born to any other dragon type. Maybe that's what class means? It was obvious that this conversation was confusing Cynder as well as she eyed the blue dragon from the corner of her eye. The female sounding creature pointed out that she and the blue dragon had something in common, but she couldn't really see it. She did know one thing though, these creatures were creeping her out with how they looked at her. It was like they were some new pet or something.

"I guess we could officially declare these two as non-aggressive dragons right, Hiccup? I mean, they haven't tried to attack us yet." Fishlegs reasoned as he watched the two dragons seem to eat.

"I guess so, yeah. I should probably go over it with my dad before we decide to let them out of the arena though." Hiccup then felt a tug on his arm as Toothless held it in his gums playfully. "What's up, Toothless?" The question didn't need an answer once he saw where Toothless was pulling him. "Oh right, your morning flight."

"Go on, Hiccup, I can handle things for a little while." Fishlegs declared as he stood confidently.

"Are you sure?" Astrid questioned as she prepared to mount her dragon as well. Both she and Hiccup always took their morning flights together, and most of the time their night flights as well.

"Come on, they're fine right?" He said as he gestured to the two seemly content dragons. "I'm sure I'll be good for an hour or so."

"Alright, but just come get us if anything happens, alright?" Hiccup requested as he hopped onto the Night Fury's back. Both the new dragons looked up to see the display as the blue dragon gained a passenger as well. "Come on, Toothless." Hiccup said as he pat the dragon's neck. Toothless happily complied as he dashed up the ramp and Stormfly was quick to follow. Both dragons traded glances with worry on their faces. Were these creatures planning to use them like horses or something? Like pets? None of the perspective scenarios brought on by the display sat well with the dragons as they turned their sights onto the heavy set creature left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I put in a bit more analysis here to point out how different the dragons really were. According to the wiki, and all the games I've played, all dragons in Spyro are the same species and can easily interbreed while HTTYD ones are classified as different. I thought this should be pointed out clearly for later when bring it up again.=^-^=


	4. False Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins cause a problem and Hiccup takes notes.

After less than an hour Hiccup and Astrid came in for their landings near the arena. From afar they saw a blast of fire, and couldn't help thinking something wasn't right back with Fishlegs. They turned out to be right as they looked down into it to see Tuffnut being chased by the purple dragon with its horns while Fishlegs and Ruffnut were cornered by the black one. "Fishlegs!? What happened?!"

The Viking looked up and let out a breath of relief. "Thank Thor, Hiccup! You gotta help us!"

Ruff gave a nod as well as she clapped her hands together. "Yes please! I'm really sorry we tried to Loki you!"

As Hiccup ran around towards the entrance he couldn't help but be confused by his fellow riders responses. They've been in worse situations, but he'd never seen them so scared before. "So much worse than a Yak!" Tuff yelped as he flew across the arena holding his butt. The purple dragon growled at him in anger and let out a snort. Tuff scrambled to his feet and started running again. When he noticed Hiccup and Astrid enter he made a bee line for them and jumped behind them. "Save me!"

"What did you do!?" Hiccup demanded as he watched the purple dragon approach with a glare.

"Is that really important right now?" Tuff asked as he peeked over the young rider's shoulder.

"Yes, now what happened!?"

"The twins jumped down into the arena with a cloud of Zippleback gas and it ignited causing an explosion!" Fishlegs shouted as he struggled to practically imbed himself in the stone walls of the arena as the black dragon approached.

Hiccup let out an agitated sigh as he moved to calm the dragon glaring him down. He held out his hands in a pacifistic manner as he took a step forwards. "Alright, just calm down…." The dragon's anger seemed to shift a bit to curiosity, but their glare never faltered.

"Snotlout, to the rescue!" Hiccup could feel his stomach sink at the shout. One look over head and his dread was realized. One Nightmare sored up into the arena coated in flames. "Alright, Hookfang, let's get 'em!" The nightmare roared before spewing out a stream of flame at the black dragon. They jumped back and sprayed a toxic green substance up at the offending pair. It only really coated one of Hookfang's wings but the effect was immediate as his flight faltered. "Hookfang!?"

"Stop, Snotlout!" Hiccup protested. Spyro's confusion increased as he continued to watch. Maybe he'd jumped the gun….? The explosion caught both him and Cynder off guard, but maybe it wasn't supposed to be an attack?

The Monstrous Nightmare slammed to the ground with a whine. "Come on, Hookfang! What happened?"

Cynder continued her approach as her mouth glowed a toxic green once again. Snotlout was definitely intimidated despite his reaction as he reached for a mace from his saddle. "You want some of this, dragon!"

As they both moved to attack two voices of reason rang out to stop them. "That's enough!" Both Hiccup and Spyro shouted in unison. While Hiccup jumped in front of Snotlout, Spyro stood on his back legs while holding one claw up to block Cynder. Silence was all that came out at first. Confusion was evident, but it took several minutes to voice as Hiccup turned to the Purple dragon behind him. The other teens also seemed intrigued, but for a less clear reason.

Hiccup seemed to be the only one to notice the second shout to cease. As Spyro came back down on all fours, Cynder stepped back in response. Spyro took a quick glance back at the one legged teen and then pushed Cynder back towards the cage opening. Since the exit itself was blocked by dragons, it seemed much easier to simply get back into a nonaggressive position. As the two dragons went on their ways, Hiccup finally noticed something with how the black one walked and quickly turned back to the twins who were basking in relief. "All right, what is up with you two!? Can't you go one day without pulling some crazy stunt!?"

They traded glances and then shrugged. "Of course not." "We're professionals." They seemed apathetic and amused as they made their case.

Hiccup could only find himself rubbing his head in frustration. "Then go find somewhere else to terrorize please!" He practically demanded as he pointed towards the exit. The twins seemed annoyed, but left anyway. It wasn't like they didn't have all of Berk to amuse themselves with.

Fishlegs seemed to finally calm down as he trotted over too. "I need to go find Meatlug."

Hiccup turned to him with a curious brow. "Where did she go anyway?"

Fishlegs shrugged. "I don't know. When that black dragon screeched, both Meatlug and Barf and Belch hightailed it without a second's hesitation. It was really freaky….." He ended with a shudder. "I just couldn't think of anything else to do but run myself." He then jogged off to find his missing dragon.

Hiccup next turned to Snotlout who was inspecting Hookfang. "Fangster?" The Nightmare looked queasy as his head rocked back and forth.

"You might want to get him home, Snotlout. I'm thinking that may have been some kind of poison it sprayed Hookfang with."

Snotlout immediately grabbed his neck. "Is he gonna be alright?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I don't know. Just take him home for now, and we'll see if he gets worse." He then turned to Astrid. "Could you give him a hand? I'm going to try and calm the other dragons down."

Astrid gave him a nod as she called her dragon over. "Alright, Hiccup, but just give us a signal if they attack again." She finished as she gave an angry glance towards the dragons in the open cage.

As soon as he saw them start up the ramp he turned towards the two strange dragons, and started over. He first sent down the door to the cage enclosing them in. He then moved to stand in the middle of the door and look over them. They seemed just as wary of him as he was of them. Toothless stepped up to join his rider, but he gave them a more friendly expression. He looked up at Hiccup and trilled contently. He knew what Hiccup had noticed, and proceeded to move his mouth as if talking. "I get it now, bud." He then turned back to the dragons and kneeled down. "You, the purple dragon, you can talk can't you? Like us?" Spyro took a passing glance back at Cynder before looking back at Hiccup. Instead of speaking though he just gave him a serious expression as if contemplating his next move. Hiccup sighed and raised on of his hands to grip the bars. "Stop pretending, I heard you back there. You were right next to me, there's no way I couldn't hear you shout just then."

The dragon was wary still of the strange creature he'd awoken to the day before. He and the others were very strange. He couldn't tell if they were violent or peaceful. Toothless grunted at them before opening his mouth to reveal his toothless grin. His goofy smile seemed to break some of the tension as he turned to Hiccup. "Yeah, that's what I think too." Hiccup expressed as he pat the dragon's head. "I can tell you two aren't aggressive dragons. If you were, we would have never let you out earlier, and Toothless would probably have a different opinion of you." He then gave a lite laugh. "So you can speak right? Both of you probably can." He deduced as he looked back at the black one as well.

"Yes." Spyro responded as he let out a breath.

"Spyro.." Cynder tried to cut in, but he shook his head.

"No, Cynder, he heard me. Lying now would be pointless." Though Hiccup knew what he heard before, hearing it so plainly was still quite a surprise. A dragon that could speak like a human?! That was crazy…. Right? Apparently not. Spyro let out a sigh as he turned to address the human. "My name is Spyro, and this is Cynder." He introduced in recession. "I'm sorry about attacking before, but we didn't really know what was going on."

Hiccup held up his hand. "No, that's not your fault. The twins do that to pretty much everyone around here. I'm sorry I left you alone, and let that happen." He then moved to scratch the side of his head. "Anyway, I'm sorry about this too." He expressed as he moved back over to the lever. He opened the cage and then moved to stand next to Toothless again. "My name's Hiccup, but maybe you already figured that one out?"

Spyro gave a nod. "And Toothless."

"I was wondering about that name myself." Cynder expressed as she approached the dragon. When she had first seen the dragon he most certainly had teeth.

Hiccup once again noticed her strange walk and knelt down. "Oh hold on, what happened with your leg there?" He looked over her left hind leg which seemed to have a burn right below where it joins with the abdomen.

Cynder pulled away and looked at it herself. "That was when those two others jumped down and exploded."

Hiccup slapped his own forehead. "Then it's no wonder you were both so aggressive just now. Those muttonheads…" He groaned as he stood up and headed towards a supply chest. "Just hold on right there." He dug through the chest a little bit before pulling out a jar and some bandages. "This will do the trick." He informed as he came back over.

Cynder immediately stepped away in caution. "What is it?"

"This? It's for burns. Considering all the dragons around here, we do have our fair share of burns." Hiccup responded as he pulled off the top.

Spyro took a look before turning back to Cynder. "Come on, Cynder, he's just trying to help."

She seemed reluctant, but Spyro's expression eventually swayed her. "Alright…" Cynder was probably the most cooperative dragon Hiccup had ever had to bandage, and he was finished after only a couple of minutes. Cynder was immediately feeling a little relieved as she looked at the tight cloth and then the human. "Thank you."

"Like I said, it's no problem since it's our fault it even happened." Hiccup returned. He then took a seat at a nearby bench, and beckoned the two dragons to follow him out of the cage. Spyro jumped up to sit next to him while Cynder lay on the ground next to where Toothless sat. "So since you can talk and all, why not say anything before? I'm sure we could have avoided that whole misunderstanding if you'd said something yesterday." Toothless agreed as he grunted at the dragon. He'd tried to get him to talk for Hiccup, but was refused.

Spyro took a look around as he responded. "I wasn't sure it would be a good idea. When I woke up, I was in a cage, and had no idea where I was." He then looked towards Toothless. "Then the only other dragon I see seems to only growl and snarl."

Cynder gave her agreement as well. "Sypro thought we should wait a bit longer since we had no idea of what was going on. To be honest, I couldn't tell what you were so I didn't know what to expect."

Then Spyro took a curious look at the young Viking as he held himself up higher on the table top. "Exactly what are you? Some kind of ape?"

"That's kind of what I thought, but he doesn't really look much like one." Cynder countered. "He barely has any fur for one."

Hiccup couldn't help but laugh at the dragons' observations. "Of course not. I'm a human, though there are lots of hairier guys in the village."

Spyro continued to look him over all the same. "Human? What does a human do?"

Hiccup didn't really know how to answer him right away as he thought about it. "Uh well… we fish… build villages, hunt….. I guess we do a lot of things. It really all depends on where you go." He then gestured to the village only barely visible through the chained canopy. "This village is called Berk, and we're Vikings."

"Vikings….? What's a Viking?" Cynder asked from her spot on the ground.

"Well, we're sailors, warriors, and more recently, dragon riders." He stated while only really covering the basics. When the two dragons seemed to be giving him wary looks again he realized what he'd said. "Oh, but only dragons that want to be ridden once we train them. We don't really force them into letting us ride on their backs."

Cynder then took a look at the Nightfury at her side. "So you want to be ridden? Why?" Toothless let out a soft growl as he rubbed up against Hiccup. Hiccup was his best friend, and flying with him was one of his favorite things to do.

"Alright, how about I get a question now?" Hiccup cut in. "We can take turns asking each other questions if that works for you?"

Spyro and Cynder traded glances, and seemed to agree. "Sure I guess, we can still say no if you ask the wrong question?"

Hiccup seemed intrigued by the concept but agreed. "Sure, that works for me." The dragons had a right to secrets too right? "Alright then, Spyro, what kind of dragon are you?"

The young dragon raised a brow at the question. "I'm a purple dragon."

Hiccup, who'd pulled out his notebook, dropped the charcoal pencil he was holding at the statement. "I can see that, but I want to know what kind? You know what species are you?"

Spyro didn't seem to really get what he was asking at all. The earlier conversation he'd overheard only left him confused as he thought about it. "Species? I'm a dragon. I just happen to be a purple dragon." Hiccup let out a sigh as he scratched his head. "What do you mean by species? Dragon is the species." Cynder tried to clarify.

Hiccup shook his head as he gestured to Toothless. "I know that he's a dragon… and purple, but I was talking about the kind. Like Toothless here. He's a dragon, but more specifically he's a Nightfury."

Spyro traded another glance with Cynder. "Uh…. I don't know?" He let out with a lingering confusion. "In the Dragon Realms, all dragons are the same species. The only real type difference is the element they use like fire."

Hiccup seemed to get the gist as he started to write. It hadn't really occurred to him that his question would be so strange. As he thought about it though, classifications were given by humans, but who's to say dragons wouldn't call themselves something different? "So you're a fire type then, okay-"

"No, I'm a purple dragon." Spyro corrected with a raised claw.

Hiccup turned to him in confusion. "But you breath fire don't you?"

Cynder let out a sigh. "Yes, but Spyro is a purple dragon. Unlike other dragons, he can use any element as long as he knows it."

Hiccup was still confused, but wrote it down all the same. "So that's what you meant when you said that? Okay, purple dragon." Hiccup then turned to Cynder. "What about you?"

She seemed lost for words as she thought about it. Exactly what kind of dragon was she? She wasn't a user of any of the typical elements. "Cynder's a poison dragon."

The dragoness in question turned to him in surprise. "How would you know that?"

Spyro turned to her. "Well, Master Ignitous told me back at the temple. Just because it's uncommon doesn't mean it isn't a real type."

Hiccup took note as he nodded. "That would certainly explain what you did to Hookfang. Is he going to be okay?" He asked as a side note.

Cynder gave a nod. "Yes, he should. I only hit him once so it should wear off in a few hours."

"Thank you." Hiccup expressed as he finished writing the information in his notebook.

"Alright, our turn again." Spyro said as he began. "So we're in Berk, but how far away are we from the Dragon Realms?"

Hiccup furrowed his brow and scratched the side of his face. "Well….. I don't know. I've never heard of these Dragon Realms before. Where are they?"

Both Spyro and Cynder looked horrified by his answer and seemed to ignore his question completely. "How could you have never heard of them?" Cynder questioned as she stood up.

"What about the dragon city, or the temple, anything!?" Spyro asked with less composure than he'd been displaying.

Hiccup raised his hands in a defensive manner. "I'm sorry, but I don't know any of those places. You two are the first dragons I've ever seen like you, and the first ones that could talk like humans do."

"How… how can this be?" Spyro muttered in shock. All of the earlier questions and conversations were slowly starting to make far more sense. If none of the dragons here could talk, they could be seen more as animals. The dragons here are all different species instead of one unified race. Never in any of the records Ignitous talked about, were there dragons like these. "Where are we….?" He trailed off as he turned to Cynder who also wore a somewhat panicked look.

"Alright, I'm not exactly sure of what's going on, but you both seem a bit riled. How about we take a break?" Hiccup suggested as he stood up. Toothless agreed with a sympathetic whimper as he joined his companion. "I'm sure we can figure this out a bit more when you both calm down. I can go get the others-"

"No!" Spyro cut him off.

Hiccup paused at the command. "Huh?"

Spyro, while still emotional, shook his head. "Please don't tell anyone else."

Hiccup furrowed his brow and took a quick look at Toothless. "Why? We can help you know-"

"Please no." Spyro pleaded. "We…. This place….." He let out a breath as he tried to find the right words. "I'm not exactly sure how, but we're not from here. We don't need to be upsetting whatever natural balance this world has."

Hiccup didn't really understand what he was talking about, but he understood what Spyro wanted. He scratched the back of his head a bit before nodding. "Alright, I guess I can just keep it a secret, but I obviously can't keep it all." He picked up his pencil again. "How about this? I'll keep where you're from, and specific things like that. I can also keep the fact that you can talk a secret so that none of the others try and question you."

Spyro shook his head. "No, you need to not say anything about us at all." He then stood up and hopped off the bench. "It would be better for all of us if you just let us leave here." Cynder agreed with a nod as she too stood up.

"Now hold on there." Hiccup requested as he stood up as well. "Just let you leave? That would be crazy. Not only would the others think something was up, but my dad would kill me, especially if I didn't tell him why."

Cynder turned back to Hiccup. "Then are you going to put us back in that cage?" She seemed on the verge of anger as she spoke. "If we're prisoners you only have to tell us so!"

Spyro turned to her. "Calm down, Cynder." He then turned back to Hiccup. "I don't really get it, but you don't have to let us go. We'll just escape."

Toothless raised a brow as he stood to block their way. Hiccup saw the determined look on the young dragon's face and relented. "Down, bud, it's okay." Toothless whined in confusion. Was he really just going to let them go? Though he wasn't really against the idea, it was strange coming from Hiccup. Though he never sought to enslave dragons, he always made a point to try and train them at least. The Nightfury lowered his wings and sat patiently as Hiccup turned back to Spyro. "Alright, I'll let you escape. Considering what happened just a few minutes ago, it's not very unlikely anyway." Both Spyro and Cynder seemed happy as they began to approach. "But I will warn you," Hiccup started as he revealed their way out. "While here in Berk, we try and work with dragons whether we ride them or not, anywhere else will be the opposite. When it comes to humans and dragons, everywhere else it's kill or be killed." He finished with a grim expression. He knew all too well that was the case, and Berk was the same until a few years before.

Both Spyro and Cynder seemed shaken by the revelation, but no less ready to leave. "We'll take our chances then.." Spyro stated with relative confidence as he and Cynder walked past them.

Just as they began up the ramp, Hiccup left them with one more piece of advice. "If anything happens, you're welcome to come back. More than a few dragons call Berk their home."

Both dragons seemed to pause at that before dashing up and taking flight outside the arena. "My home is the Artisan World."

The young Viking heard before losing sight of them. Hiccup let out a sigh as he slumped back down on the bench. "I guess there goes that plan, eh bud?" Hiccup lamented as he slipped his note pad back into his armor. Toothless seemed to stare off after them as he answered with a low growl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HTTYD and TLoS worlds are different for this fic. That was done for a very specific reason so bare with me. (And it would be hard to put them together don't you think?)
> 
> Also, as I mentioned earlier, I'm using some stuff from the original Spyro series. Before the crazy legend of the purple dragon, Spyro was actually an Artisan Dragon from the Artisan home world. I mentioned this for a special reason too, but it'll come up later.
> 
> Last thing, anyone notice how there aren't any humans in TLoS games? But in the original series there were. Ex. monks from Ripto's Rage. Anyway, so since they'd never seen one before, they'd be wary of them and what they did.=^-^=


	5. Lost Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toothless has an interesting encounter with a talking crystal.

As the sun started to fall in the sky the two lost dragons found perch on a sea stack just outside the dense mist of Helhein's gate. "This really isn't home…" Spyro lamented as he looked out at the foreign waters.

Cynder released a mournful sigh and gave a nod. "Looks like it." She then took a look around some more. "But how did we get here?"

Spyro sat down and looked up at the moderate clouds. "The last thing I remember was the crystal. It was calling me and then…"

"The storm?" Cynder asked as she too went over what she remembered. She remembered seeing Spyro going after the crystal, and chasing after him, but then… "We were suddenly there."

Spyro nodded. "But I don't know how. Could the crystal have sent us here somehow?"

"Where ever here is." Cynder added in agreement. She then looked over the edge at the water with a sullen expression. She then noticed something sparkle in the water, and it gave her a sense of familiarity. She leaned down over the edge a bit more to get a better look while Spyro continued to watch the clouds not knowing what to do next. "Spyro." Cynder called as she jumped into a hover.

"What is it?" He asked without really moving.

"I think I see something." She informed as she flew down towards the water.

Spyro finally moved and jumped to the edge to watch her fly down. "See something? See what?" He watched her dive down and hover just above the water. She seemed to watch the surface a moment before darting in right next to one of the other sea stacks. "Cynder?" After a moment she jumped back out, and after hovering another moment to shake off the water she flew back up. "Cynder, what is it?" Spyro asked as she dropped down beside him. She couldn't answer right away due having something in her mouth. It was a peculiar thing that Spyro couldn't help feeling familiar with. As soon as she dropped it to the ground, however, his eyes widened. "Green crystal!?" He declared in amazement.

Cynder held one claw over it, and the glow of power radiated into her. "So it would seem." She responded with hopeful tone. "Maybe we weren't sent here alone."

Spyro gave the crystal a contemplating look. "Or at the very least this means the crystal sent more than just us to this strange realm." He then looked over to where Cynder had jumped into the water. "We should see if we can find more of these, or maybe even a full crystal. If we can find a Mana source, then we won't have to worry about conserving or energy."

The ambiance of the green crystal faded as the aura around Cynder faded. "Yes, because I'm going to need more than this to recover what I lost in that arena."

Spyro had almost forgotten about that. He had only used his fire a couple of times to keep them warm and cook their food. Cynder on the other hand, had used both her Fear power and Poison on those humans and the fiery dragon from before. "Right, it'll take too long to replenish energy without them." He then jumped into a hover and turned to his companion. "Let's get going then."

* * *

Stoic, as Hiccup had expected, was angry when he found out the dragons had escaped. He'd thought his son was more capable of keeping them under control than that. Once he'd been told about the twin's stunt, however, he was far more understanding. "I guess it can't be helped then. Judgin by how you described them, they don't seem too likely to cause us any trouble besides." He then pulled at his beard a bit. "Put I'd wager you won't let it end here."

Hiccup gave a slight nod as he turned towards the sea. "I don't want it too, but I might have too." He revealed with a sigh. His explanation to his father wasn't complete as per the dragons' wishes so he wasn't as gung ho as he would be. He then heard a light grunt from behind. Toothless was looking out at the see too, and seemed ready to fly off at any moment.

"Doesn't look like Toothless has given up yet either." Stoic noted with amusement. "Well if you do decide to go on after 'em, just be careful." He instructed as he headed out of the arena with his Rumble Horn in toe.

Hiccup turned back to the Night Fury who whined in excitement as he ruffled his wings. "As much as I'd like to go, I don't think it will do any good." The Nightfury didn't seem impeded as he dashed over to the young Viking in determination. He whipped around him and started to push him forwards towards the edge. Toothless knew Hiccup could be stubborn, and sometimes he had to help him along a bit. "Whoa, bud whoa!" Hiccup protested as he just about lost his footing. Toothless let out a whine as he stopped and whipped around to face him. He jostled his wings a bit and looked out at the ocean. Hiccup just rolled his eyes, and let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright, you win. We'll go look for them, but just for a few hours okay?" That was all Toothless needed to scoop the young man off the ground and dash into flight before he could even get the tail locked in. The slightly rocky start quickly evened out as they made a bee line for the direction the dragons were last seen heading in.

* * *

"Look here, Spyro, even more of them." Cynder informed as she landed on a sandbar that was mostly underwater. The mist made it hard to see and so they were sure to stay within earshot.

Spyro dropped from the sky and into the shallow waters that sparkled strangely. "Finally some red ones." He noted as he pulled one of them out of the water. Most of what they had found was green, and the purple dragon had started to get a bit worried about the red ones. He walked it over to Cynder who took it into her teeth happily. As the exchange occurred both dragons seemed to pause, and look at each other. Spyro eventually let go and turned away. "Now you can fix that burn." He informed somewhat confidently.

She turned and placed it over the bound wound gently. The effect was quick as the red gem glowed brightly and flowed into her. She let out a contented breath as any pain still left in her burn melted away. "Thank you, Spyro." She conveyed as she smiled at him. When she saw him seeming to look through the water instead of acknowledging her gratitude, she leaned over to him and rubbed her nose against his cheek." She then quickly dashed away to look through the water herself. Spyro wasn't looking for crystals at all by this point as he wrestled with the urge to look back at her. With all that had been going on the last few days, they hadn't had much chances to talk; especially about what she said before they ended up here. "Hey look, Spyro! We can use that to carry the crystals." She declared as she gestured to the torn sail laying over a crumbled sea stack.

He looked over to it readily as a way to change the subject in his mind. "Good, we'll want to keep some on us since they don't seem to spawn in crystal formations like back home. We don't know where we'll find more." He jumped up and flew over to the cloth. His teeth made quick work of getting a large portion of the cloth free and he flew it back down to the dry area of the sand bar. "Let's gather what we can into here and then find a place to sleep safely. Once the sun sets, it'll probably get really cold again too."

Cynder shivered at the thought. It was still cold out, but since the sun could still be felt through the mist, she could get through it. She didn't like the idea of being frozen though, and nodded in agreement. "Good idea. We'll want to find something to burn too." She then turned to the broken mast they took the sail from. "We could use that if nothing else." They then quickly went about gathering every crystal they could see in the area into the makeshift bag that was the torn sail.

* * *

As the Nightfury landed back on the isle of Berk, both he and his rider wore disappointed expressions. "Alright, Bud, we gave it a good shot." Hiccup declared as he hopped off Toothless' back. The Nightfury let out a grunt as he followed behind. He wanted to look more, but Hiccup did have a point. If they didn't want to be found it would be better to just leave them alone. They were just so strange.

"They were so strange." Hiccup stated suddenly as if voicing the thoughts of the dark dragon. He lifted his head high curiously as he dashed to the young man's side. "You think so too?" Toothless responded with a nod and a low growl. "I thought so. I wonder where these 'Dragon Realms' are anyway? A land ruled by dragons?" He thought aloud with an excited but curious tone. "Just imagine it, Bud." He requested as he turned to his dragon companion. "I wonder what it would be like." It was an interesting thought for sure. What would a land ruled by dragons be like? Are these dragons like Spyro and Cynder? Is it anything like Berk?

"Hiccup." The young Viking was pulled out of his thoughts at the call of his name. He turned to see Astrid with an angry expression. "You went flying without me didn't you? I even waited."

Hiccup immediately remembered that they had agreed to go together. "Oh… well not really, but yeah. Toothless wanted to go and look for those new dragons." Toothless grunted in insult as he whipped his tail at him.

"And you did too." Astrid accused with her arms crossed.

"Yeah." Hiccup admitted as he rubbed his shoulder where the tail had landed.

Toothless was satisfied at the admission and sat aside as the two humans continued to talk. The strange mating ritual between the two of them was nothing if not entertaining to watch, despite the fact that it has been going on for so long. "Dr…ag..on…." He raised his ears in alert to the strange sound he'd just heard. He saw the humans continue to talk among themselves, and was confused. They didn't hear it? "Dragon…" There it was again.

He looked around from his sitting position for whatever was making that noise. The humans didn't seem to notice it at all, but it sounded like a human to talk. He sniffed the air a bit to see if another one was nearby. "Hurry…. Dragon…. Here." He turned and walked over to several barrels where he thought the words were coming from. He looked into one only to find it empty, and it frustrated him. "You're close dragon…" He then turned to the next barrel, though this one had a lid. On top of the lid, however, was a bag, and something bright inside. Toothless peeked into the bag as best he could. "Yes dragon, I'm in here." His eyes widened at the strange marvel. Something in this bag was talking like a human.

He nudged it open more with his nose, and one of the crystals inside appeared to be glowing light blue. "Do not be alarmed, my friend, I am not truly here." Toothless looked at the crystal suspiciously and turned to the humans. "No dragon, not yet." The strange blue crystal countered. "I must tell you something and I haven't much time." Toothless turned back to the gem with a small growl. "Please just listen, and you may alert those creatures afterwards." Toothless raised a brow and grunted for the crystal to continue. "Good, now listen closely dragon. You must find the purple dragon, the one called Spyro. He has been brought here to reconnect this realm."

The Nightfury was only partially sure of what this weird rock was asking of him. Something about finding those dragons maybe? "You must show him the truth of this world, and the dragons in it. You are one of the few dragons of this realm that can still hear the crystals as dragons once did…." The voice seemed to tapper out which made the Nightfury curious as he leaned his head down closer. "…. I'm sorry….. not enough power….." The stone then seemed to glow brighter. "Hurry and take the crystal with your claw!" It demanded to the surprise of the black dragon. He raised up his claw curiously but didn't move to touch it. "Hurr…. Now.." The voice was breaking up again and he didn't know whether to listen or not. As he watched the glow though, it seemed to be egging him on. His claw appeared to reach out slowly as if entranced by the glow. The minute his claw touched the hard surface, the glow burst from the crystal and danced around the Nightfury.

He roared in distress which finally seemed to get both Hiccup's and Astrid's attention. Toothless backed up on his back legs and clawed at the strange energy until it faded away. "Toothless!?" Hiccup called out as he made his way in front of the Nightfury. He held his hands up to calm the dragon who was looking very spooked. Toothless stood back on all four claws and began to shake his head wildly. "What's wrong, bud?" Hiccup tried to calm him with a soothing pat on the head, but Toothless jumped back.

The dragon squinted his eyes closed and both humans looked on in bewilderment as the blue glow returned only now it was within the dragon. "I think something's wrong here." Astrid stated in bewilderment.

"I think we've established that." Hiccup responded, with less sarcasm than intended. He watched as his dragon arched his spine while the new glow intensified. As if to signal the end of the strange scene, they all heard a snap, and watched as the single row of spine's down Toothless' back split into two. "Toothless!" Hiccup called again as the dragon seemed to calm ever so slightly. As soon as Hiccup placed a hand on his back, however, he lurched back and fired his plasma blast with a shrill cry.

The blue flash was almost blinding to the Vikings which was seldom the case. "Whoa!" Astrid commented as she saw the result. Hiccup was looking over Toothless who looked to be breathing rather heavily from the strain. "Hiccup… look at that." She insisted as he pat his shoulder.

Hiccup was a bit annoyed to be pulled away from checking on Toothless until he saw the crater. Scorch marks were a common sight around Berk, especially the academy, but this was something else. Not only was it twice the size of Toothless' standard attack, but it dug into the rock wall as well. Toothless just accomplished something that would take several dragons at least five minutes to accomplish, in one shot. He then turned back to Toothless who seemed a bit disoriented from whatever just happened. "What happened, bud?" Toothless only whined as he lay down with his head in Hiccup's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, something interesting right? In order to mix the two worlds more fully I decided to give Toothless his slight modification from the second movie. Those events have obviously not happened, and will not happen in this story as planned so far.
> 
> So in the Dawn of the Dragon game, you have green crystals for mana, red for health, and blue for experience. In the beginning, they find a blue crystal and learn their abilities from the... chronicler? I think that's his name. Also, as you gain experience in the game from blue crystals, you gain new abilities. I decided to use this mechanic in the scene at the end. Because dragons from this universe do not rely on crystals for energy, I imagine the new experience would be a bit jarring, but I'll explain more about it later.


	6. Clues to Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding out Toothless' changes were more than an increase in fire power, the gang gets an interesting bit of news from Trader Yohan. Could they be dealing with a new kind of lighting dragon?

Hiccup gave Toothless plenty of time to calm down from his strange episode. He kept the dragon's head in his lap while Astrid investigated the crater a bit more. "I can't believe he just did that." She stated aloud with continued amazement.

"I don't think he does either." Hiccup responded as the Nightfury purred on his lap. "You doing okay, bud?" He asked as he stroked his neck. Toothless, now much calmer, let out soft growl. "Good to hear. I was worried about you." That came as no surprise to the young Nightfury who continued to enjoy the attention. Whatever that was, wasn't something he ever wanted to do again. It must have been some kind of trick…..maybe…. He couldn't quite understand it all, but he did know one thing for sure. It had something to do with those dragons.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as he felt Hiccup tugging at one of the fins on his back. He lifted his head and turned to see them. "Did you know about this?" The young Viking asked with a fascinated expression. Toothless raised a confused brow as he looked them over closely. They weren't like this before….. He then stood up and they seemed to almost clap together as he did so. He watched in fascination as he moved them apart and together again. He then finally snapped them back together and wore a victorious grin as he did so. "I wonder how that happened?"

"What happened?" Astrid asked as she came back over to them.

Hiccup pointed to the fin. "Toothless' fin split apart."

She seemed confused. "What are you talking about?" The fin was still together when she looked.

Toothless was watching it with a wary eye as he split it apart again. He trilled happily, and clapped them back again. "See? He couldn't do that before." Hiccup stated as Astrid took in the new sight. Toothless continued his exploration of the new trick while Hiccup turned his eyes over to the barrels. He remembered Toothless sitting over here before that blue light appeared. "What caused that whole thing anyway?" He wondered as he headed over to the barrels. Toothless noticed him and stopped his exercises in favor of dashing over as well. He scooped the bag up with his teeth and held it up to Hiccup. "What's up? Is this where it came from?" Toothless responded with a low whine. Hiccup took the bag and poured out a few of the gems. "It's the gems Fishleg's and Meatlug found."

Toothless looked at them closely, but grunted when the crystal he wanted to show them wasn't in Hiccup's palm. He snatched the bag back and dumped its contents on the stone floor. He shifted through the red and green, but quickly realized the blue one was gone. "What's wrong, bud? It's not there?" Toothless let out a frustrated whine as he tried to dump more out of the empty bag.

"How would he tell the difference? There were only red and green crystals in that bag." Astrid wondered aloud as she watched the Nightfury as well. Toothless wore a scowl as he dropped the bag in frustration. If the stone wasn't there anymore, what could he do? He then sat back a bit and growled in annoyance. "It's getting pretty late. I'm going home to sleep." Astrid informed with a minor yawn. "Considering what just happened, you might want to do the same."

Hiccup gave a nod to the suggestion. They'd spent several hours looking for those dragons, and then the thing just now with Toothless. "Sounds like a good idea eh, Toothless?" He then turned to Astrid. "Maybe Fishlegs can tell us a bit more about these gems, and show us where exactly he found them." He surmised aloud as he crossed his arms. "We might even figure out something about that weird light from before if it has anything to do with them." He stated while directing it at Toothless. "Come on, bud. Let's get some sleep." He waved the Nightfury over, and the dragon complied while watching the pile of gems in frustration.

* * *

Spyro and Cynder, after gathering what gems they could find, were lucky enough to find a somewhat secluded alcove which blocked the cold wind. It was on the coast of a small island, and seemed the perfect place for them to sleep…. At first. That was before Spyro lit the fire. After a few minutes passed, they were rudely interrupted from attempting to cook what fish they found when a loud concussive sound boomed down on them. Both dragons were instantly on guard as the strange dragon flew down towards them aggressively. "What's that!?" Cynder shouted in anger and confusion.

Spyro watched it with a sharp gaze closely. After a few moments, it dawned on him exactly what was flying above them. "I think it's another dragon, Cynder."

"That's a dragon?" She instantly asked back in apparent disbelief.

"Remember, Cynder, the dragons of this world are different than us." He then turned to the dragon with a stern expression. "Please leave us alone. We don't want to fight you, and we don't intend to cause trouble." He announced as the dragon glared them down. Another concussive blast was all it responded with, which caused both dragons to groan from the strenuous sound. Cynder regained her senses first and her eyes shifted red as she screeched with her fear ability. The dragon didn't seem impeded at all as it swooped down at them. Spyro flew up and rammed its belly with his horns just enough to push it back, but not harm it. "Leave now!" He ordered the feral dragon with a stern gaze.

He flew only slightly higher than the aggressive dragon, but the size difference seemed to reduce his intimidation technique. As he saw the dragon retaliate, he shot out a bolt of lightning, that missed by inches and hit the water. The loud dragon now looked less confident, and turned away from the confrontation. It was out of sight quickly enough, and Spyro landed with a relieved expression. "Good… I'm glad it left before we had to go any further."

Cynder nodded in agreement. "Me too, though it's mostly because my fear power didn't work. It's like it was ignoring it…" She lamented in slight fear herself. If their breath attacks had no effect, then they would definitely have problems.

"It's alright, Cynder, we each have more than just one element to call on. If one doesn't work, we can use another." Spyro consoled as he stood beside her.

She seemed to feel a bit more confident after he said that and leaned his way. "Good point-" She was cut off by another loud roar, but not from the previous dragon. Despite the dark night sky, both Spyro and Cynder could clearly see the strange creature coming at them through the water. It looked to be splitting the ocean itself with its speed. Spyro was less diplomatic as he prepared a lightning bolt to fire again. He didn't want to hurt any of the other dragons, but he needed to defend himself, and Cynder.

* * *

It was an early morning, which was rather typical considering Toothless' flying preferences, for Hiccup as he was roused out of bed by an excited Nightfury. After Toothless grew tired of waiting he decided to help Hiccup get up, and by help, he really only pushed the young Viking to the floor. "Aw… Toothless….." He groaned as he got up from the floor. "What's got you so riled up this morning?" Though Toothless was always up early, this was a bit more than usual since the sun seemed to only just be rising. The dragon simply continued to encourage the human to move faster with his impatient whine.

After finally getting his way, Toothless wasted no time taking off. Hiccup quickly adjusted to the speed and got into a good maneuvering position. "Alright, bud, let's get rid of some of that energy." The Nightfury agreed as he saw the mighty stone stacks and dove into them with an excited growl. Back and forth they weaved through the misty obstacles easily. It was child's play to this pair who had flown these waters before. "What do ya say, bud? Keep going?" Toothless seemed insulted as he picked up speed. He roared with pride and flew under a stone arch before twisting back to dodge another stack. Hiccup couldn't help but be amused by the Nightfury's cocky behavior, before just barely missing the next stone stack in the mist. "Whoa, bud!" He settled into the saddle better. "Let's not get too over confident alright?"

Toothless looked back at him and pulled up. He didn't see much point, but if Hiccup thought we should move on, then he didn't see anything wrong with doing that; he always wanted Hiccup to have fun too. "Whoa, bud!" Hiccup called as the newly fallen sea stack just came into view. He quickly moved the dragon's tail to dodge, but they were just too close. The Nightfury was frantically trying to pull back with everything he could muster until Hiccup heard a snap from behind. Suddenly Toothless easily darted around with a sharp turn that they'd never been able to do before.

Both of them seemed clueless as to what just happened as they glided out into the calm open waters. "Whoa…" Hiccup let out in disbelief. "That was the sharpest turn we've ever made huh, bud?" Toothless wore an expression of surprise as he continued along. Had he really just turned like that? "Hold on…. Your fin. It split again." Hiccup noted as he took a look behind him. He'd remembered hearing an odd noise before, and this must've been it. Toothless looked back at his rider and let out a growl. "You think that's why we could turn like that?"

Toothless really didn't know. He didn't even know his fin could split like that….. until last night? The events of the previous night hit him immediately. He then suddenly jerked back towards the village. "Toothless?" Hiccup wondered at the sudden change in his dragon friend. He wasn't about to complain though, since their close encounter back there. If Toothless wanted to finish early, he wasn't going to complain.

* * *

Back down in the academy arena, Toothless dashed in just in time to see Fishlegs and Meatlug picking up the scattered crystals. They hadn't bothered to pick them up last night mainly due to Toothless' insistence to leave them alone. "Toothless?" Fishlegs called with a smile. The Nightfury acknowledged him for only a second before looking over to crystals still on the ground.

"Hey, Fishlegs." Hiccup greeted once he caught up with the dragon.

"Morning, Hiccup. Do you know why these were on the ground? It's so weird they'd just be sitting here."

"Toothless did that last night." Hiccup started as he recounted the strange occurrence from the night before. He then pointed to the fin on Toothless' back as proof.

"Wow! That sounds so cool." He exclaimed as he looked towards the Nightfury still searching around the ground.

Toothless then looked into the stout Viking's hands to see if the crystal he wanted was there. "What are you looking for, Toothless?" He whined in response as he continued his search.

Fishlegs raised a hand to his chin. "You know, speaking of looking for something, one of the crystals is missing."

Toothless paused at the mention while Hiccup stepped closer. "How do you know that? Did you count them?"

Fishlegs tapped his chin. "Well no, but I distinctly remember there being one blue crystal in the bag. Since all the others were red or green, this one was very memorable." Toothless immediately let out a low growl towards both boys. That crystal was what he was looking for. He didn't know where it went, but he knew what he saw.

"Hold on… I think that maybe what Toothless is looking for Fishlegs." Toothless confirmed it with a happy whine, and looked back at the crystals.

"Oh, well that's one mystery solved. Now where did it go?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. When he dumped the bag out last night, neither me nor Astrid saw a blue crystal." Fish seemed perplexed at the revelation while Meatlug looked over a few of the fallen crystals. She seemed tempted to eat them though her rider had asked her not too. "I guess all we can say is that Toothless saw this blue crystal, that weird thing happened, and now it's gone." Hiccup deduced with a curious tone.

"So the crystal… you think maybe it caused that weird glowing thing you told me about?"

Hiccup scratched his head. "I don't know… maybe?" He then turned to Toothless. "Hey, bud, why don't you blast the wall like you did last night?" He asked as he pointed to the stone wall. "Plasma Blast." He dictated, and the Nightfury complied. He charged up his attack with a screech and his body seemed to glow blue as he did so. He fired with a blinding flash just as he did the night before.

Fishlegs reflexively covered his eyes from the light. "Whoa!" He let out in excitement. "That was so cool!" He walked over to Toothless in fascination. "It's like his plasma blast was super charged or something."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, but he didn't need a blue crystal for it, so it might not have anything to do with it." Toothless immediately protested as he came back over to the strange gems. He let out a growl, and then looked down at them. He held up his claw and looked back at Hiccup with another lite growl. "What is it, bud?" The Viking inquired in solid interest. Toothless had been trying to tell him something last night, but he couldn't figure out what it was. They all watched as the Nightfury slowly placed his claw on one of the green crystals and then looked back up. This is what he'd done just before the weird blue light jumped at him. That crystal had made it happen, but since he couldn't find that one, maybe he could get them to understand with one of these. When he saw the looks of amazement on their faces he'd thought he succeeded, until he noticed the strange green shine around him. He looked around at the strange light, and it was just like the blue light from before. He jumped back in panic as the light seemed to follow and envelop him as it did before. Despite his struggle to escape, the green seemed to fade right into him, and soon disappeared altogether. He looked around in annoyance searching for the strange glow.

"Whoa….." Fish stated in astonishment.

"Make that two." Hiccup added in. He then looked back to the ground to find the gem gone. "Hey, where'd the crystal go?" Toothless raised his ears and turned to the Viking. He looked at the ground, and the crystal he had touched was indeed gone. He walked back to it and sniffed around the ground a bit.

"It disappeared?" Fishlegs' asked as he watched the Nightfury search.

"Yeah….. maybe just like the blue one did." Hiccup deduced with an analytical tone. "That's why we can't find it. It disappears once it does that weird glowing thing."

"What disappears?" Astrid asked as she made her way down into the arena.

Hiccup turned to her with an excited expression. "The crystals. Last night, you remember what happened to Toothless?"

She gave a nod. "Yeah, that weird light?"

"Yes, we just found out it was the crystals that did it. Somehow one of these crystals turned into that light, and then unlocked this… power in Toothless." He finished as he gestured to the dragon in question.

She seemed more than confused. "Okay…. You lost me." She responded before hearing the clamor outside the arena. "Oh right, I came down to tell you Trader Yohan is approaching the port."

"Trader Yohan!" Fishlegs shouted in excitement. Both he and his dragon dashed up the ramp to see the anticipated merchant.

"I guess we can talk about this later then." Hiccup stated in slight surprise. He always thought dragon stuff was more interesting to Fishlegs than anything.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like Toothless is going anywhere." Astrid agreed as she turned back up the ramp. "I'm going to see if he has any good war axes. My old one broke after target practice on Snotlout."

Hiccup shrugged and motioned to Toothless. "Come on bud, it wouldn't hurt to see what he's got this time around." He then thought a moment on the crystals littering the ground. "And maybe he knows what these are?" He though aloud as he picked up a few. He put them in a side pocket before heading out himself, and Toothless followed loyally.

Down at the port, Johann's ship was crowded as usual. It was standard practice that everyone in the village came over to see what wares he had, and new exotic items to behold. Stoic, as chief of the tribe, was one of the first allowed on the ship, and was currently test swinging a brutal looking mace. "It's got a nice swing to it don't ya think?"

Gobber looked a moment and gave a nod. "Aye, it does. Looks like it'd be great for bashing in skulls."

Stoic smiled at the weapon. "Just what I was thinkin."

"Ah! Wonderful choice, Chief Stoic. Got that one from a northern trading ship. I was told it was made with the teeth of a Whispering Death." Johann informed with an indulgent air.

Stoic gave a nod. "Oh, really? I'll take it then."

Johann gave a bow. "Yes, as my gift for your welcoming port of course." The trader responded with a humble bow. Stoic seemed happy and took his new mace off the ship while Gobber nosed around a bit more.

Others were now coming aboard and Hiccup watched as he headed for the port himself. "Hey, dad." He called out as his father came up the steps.

"Hiccup, a bit of a surprise you weren't at the front of that line. Told me you were out of ink."

Hiccup quickly remembered that dilemma, and hurried a bit more. "I completely forgot!" Toothless dashed off with him, and Stoic watched with mild amusement before turning back to head up to the village. He had to do a bit of squeezing to get through the crowd, but thanks to his thin build it wasn't too much of a hassle. Toothless merely forced his way through, and considering he was a Nightfury, no one really opposed him.

"Ah! Hello there, Master Hiccup. I have just the thing for you." Johann greeted with his hands together.

"I was hoping." Hiccup responded as he finally got onto the ship.

Johann quickly pulled out a ceramic jar and held it out to the young man. "Fresh ink from a great northern squid, just for you." He proclaimed brightly.

Hiccup reached for it appreciatively. "Oh man, I'm so glad you brought some. Toothless had a bit of an accident a few days ago, and my last jar of ink became a casualty of it." He then put the ink to the side, and pulled out the crystals. "By the way, have you ever seen anything like these?"

Johann looked them over in surprise. "Oh, indeed I have. I ran across a few very recently I might add."

"Does it have anything to do with this burned crate?" Astrid asked as she pulled up a broken wood plank. She had been going through a chest next to it full of assorted blades.

Johann turned to the damage with a slight grimace. "Not really, but I did find them in the same area where that damage occurred." He informed as he stroked his beard. "It was quite the scene. Two dragons having a grand duel under the stormy night skies." He illustrated with a hand gesture to the skies. "One was the meanest Scaldron you'd ever seen, and the other….. uh…." He paused a moment. "Well I'm quite sure it was a Skrill, but it seemed rather small." He finished with less drama than was known for.

"Little? Are you kidding? The average size for a Skrill is bigger than a Monstrous Nightmare." Fishlegs pointed out with a scholarly tone while looking at a few books. "It was probably another dragon if it was small."

Johann gave a shrug. "Yes, but I don't know any other dragons that can breathe lightning." The trader responded.

Both Hiccup and Fishlegs looked at him in disbelief. "Lightning?"

"Aye, it struck back at the Scaldron with no less than four bolts of lightning. The dragon seemed quite determined to keep the Scaldron away from the coast." He then looked back to his charred crate. "I was lucky enough that only one of those bolts hit my ship, or I would have never gotten the fire out."

"So another Skrill is out there." Hiccup wondered aloud in deep thought.

"It couldn't be the same one as before." Fishlegs determined confidently.

"Yeah, that one wasn't small period." Astrid concurred.

"Maybe it's not a full grown Skrill then?"

Fishlegs' eyes widened. "A baby Skrill!" He started in excitement, and a little hesitation at the end.

"Or a new dragon." Hiccup countered. "The Skrill isn't the only dragon that uses lightning remember?"

"Oh yeah, the Sea Shocker….." He then seemed to realize something. "Wait, if it was fighting a Scaldron, then it probably was a Sea Shocker since Scaldrens are they're natural predators."

"A Sea Shocker? I believe I may have heard of those." Johann stated as he crossed his arms. "But I do not think that what I saw was that." He then pulled out a piece of paper and a charcoal pen from a box nearby. "It looked more like this." With the drawing skills of a small child he depicted a small four legged dragon. "Unless that is what a Sea Shocker indeed looks like."

Hiccup took up the picture and furrowed his brow. "Uh... no. Those are wings right? Cause a Sea Shocker doesn't have any. They're deep sea dragons."

"Why yes, Master Hiccup, while I didn't get a very good look at it mind you, I could tell it was flying."

"Then we either have a baby Skrill or an entirely new dragon out there!" Fishlegs practically shouted with excitement. "We should go check it out, Hiccup!" He suggested as he almost jumped with anticipation.

It wasn't a bad idea for sure, but Hiccup did have a strange feeling about it. The endorsement Toothless gave from behind was all he needed to instantly approve the idea. "Sure, if you can tell us where you saw this dragon, Johann?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is called situational irony which is when the reader knows something the characters do not... that was one of my vocabulary words from English 3 in high school. I remember the weirdest things. I also hope I don't have to explain why Cynder's fear power didn't work on the Thunderdrum.


	7. Misty Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The riders find what they're looking for, and Hiccup finds something else.

Only a few hours later were the young dragon riders ready, and out searching for the small island Johann had mentioned the new dragon defending. Fishlegs was flipping through the Dragon Manuel which seemed pointless considering how much he'd memorized from it. "Isn't this exciting?" He asked with a childlike tone.

"Uh…. No?" Snotlout remarked as he leaned on one arm over his dragon. "I can think of so many better things I could be doing than looking for another Skrill."

"Wait, we're looking for a Skrill?" Tuff asked as he snapped out of his dazed state.

"What did you think we were going to look for." His obviously annoyed sister asked.

"Uh…. Didn't the last one of those things try to kill us?" He wondered back, stating a rather valid point.

"Yeah, but first, this isn't the same one, and second, we don't really know if it is a Skrill. We should just assume it's a new dragon and can breathe lightning since that's the only solid fact we know about it." Hiccup interjected from the head of the flock. "Just try not to startle it if you see it." He continued with a glare back at the twins.

"Come on, even we're not stupid enough to piss off a Skrill." Tuff defended only to receive deadpan stares from the others, and even his own sister. "Oh fine." He grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Land ho!" Astrid called from the left side of their flock and pointed off to the horizon. "Think that's the island Johann was talking about?"

Hiccup took a good look through his spyglass, and noted the cove Johann had described earlier that day. "Yeah, but it's closer to the ship graveyard's mists than he mentioned before." From their position in the sky, the thick clouded waters north of the island were very noticeable, and the riders were more than wary of them. The waters were not only perilous to sailors, but eel infested as well, and that made them dangerous for dragons too. "Alright, gang, let's land just off the cove and take a look around. We don't want to startle the dragon by flying right in."

Now on the ground, the riders and their dragons swept the lightly wooded area just east of the cove. Snotlout seemed more annoyed than anything while his dragon eagerly looked around with the others. The twins appeared to be seriously looking as well, but seldom ever stuck to the plan. Astrid, and Hiccup were at the head of the group as they approached the rocky cliff that created the cove.

"I think I found something." Fishleg's called from behind a bush. The others approached, but only Astrid and Hiccup joined to look up close. Fishleg's quickly pointed out the splintered tree stump along with the grove in the ground nearby. "It kinda looks like a boulder rolled through."

Astrid raised a brow. "Okay, but what's so interesting about that?"

Hiccup quickly pointed to an impression partly covered by the shade of the bush. "This claw print." He kneeled down and framed it with his fingers. "Definitely a dragon track. What do you think Fishleg's?"

The stout Viking took a comprehensive look before pulling what appeared to be cards from his pouch. "Definitely not a Gronkle track….. it doesn't seem to match any boulder class dragons actually."

"It's not very big. Maybe a Speed Stinger." Astrid tried to propose with less interest then the dragon enthusiasts she stood with. It's not that she didn't like dragons, she just didn't go crazy over little things like claw marks.

"No, it has too many claws for that. This one clearly has four claws, and Speed Stingers only have three." Fish corrected in an educated tone. "The size is about right though. There's one more over here." He pointed to the base of the downed tree. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think a maybe a Gronkle had rammed it down. The grove in the ground behind the stump looks like something bigger than the tree dug into it."

Hiccup stood up with a hand on his chin. "You think this might be a new dragon that can bowl down a tree, and breathe lightning?"

"Maybe." Fishleg's responded as he felt the splintered parts of the stump. "This tree isn't burned anywhere."

"Are we going to look anymore, or did we come to find those tracks?" Snotlout complained with a bored tone.

Hiccup turned to him with annoyance. "Yes, we came out here….. Where are the twins?" He quickly corrected as he looked around. They and their dragon were nowhere to be found.

Snotlout shrugged. "Do I look like their babysitter?" Hookfang looked at him a moment before heading over towards the cove with a growl. All the Vikings followed, and saw the two of them off along the shore looking at something.

"Why am I surprised?" Toothless seemed to mirror his expression with a low grunt. He enjoyed their antics most of the time like the other dragons, but they messed a lot of things up with them too. The Night Fury jumped from the cliff gracefully followed by the other dragons. The Viking teens took a simple rock path nearby.

"What are you guys doing?" Fish shouted at them furiously. He'd surprised many with his dash ahead.

Both twins turned to him with careless expressions. "Well, we were thinking about eating these fish." Tuff admitted with a shrug. "I mean…. If nobody else wants 'em." It was an interesting sight to see the small pile of fish next to a burned out fire. There were a few fish bones too, but not many.

Hiccup looked it over after catching up, and seemed just as confused as Fishlegs. "You think someone else found the dragon first?"

Fishleg's gave a nod. "It's possible. This doesn't look very old."

"Neither does the fish…. Seriously, anybody gonna eat 'em?" While Hiccup and Fishleg's were annoyed by the question someone else took it upon themselves to take the fish. Barf and Belch made quick work of them rather suddenly. "Aww…."

"Shut up." Ruff scolded with a fist to his arm. "Anyway, if this is the cove where Johann saw the dragon then they're not here anymore."

Toothless took a good look from the other side of the fire while Hiccup and Fishlegs thought it over. "But where did it go then?"

"And if it is the lightning dragon that was here, why was it so close to the water. I mean Skrills can't use their lightning when in water." Their attention was then suddenly drawn away by a surprise whine from Toothless. His nose was to the ground as he sniffed the area with urgency. "Toothless?" The black dragon was on high alert from the familiar scent. He may have not known the scent very long, but he knew what he smelled.

"Maybe he found their scent?" Astrid proposed which elicited a jerk of the Night Fury's head.

"I think you're right, Astrid. Why not have Stormfly take a whiff?" One of the many interesting qualities of the Nadder was its supreme sense of smell. Hiccup and Fishlegs were even thinking of putting them in their newest dragon class called Tracker class. Aside from the sense of smell, however, the Deadly Nadder was still the epitome of the Sharp class, and they were still giving it some thought.

Stormfly trotted over happily and sniffed the area near the Night Fury. In seconds the Nadder seemed just as alert as Toothless, and let out a cry to show it. "She found it too so should we follow it?"

Hookfang was the first dragon in the air. "It beats listening to you two." He remarked in his standard mocking tone. None of the others said anything else before joining him the sky where Stormfly quickly headed their flock.

The dragon's enthusiasm faltered slightly after realizing where the scent led them. Not an hour later were they carefully flying through the eerie mists of the ship graveyard. Stormfly continued on with the support of her rider's calming hand on her neck. "Easy girl." It was obvious she wasn't the only one bothered as deep whines emanated from the other dragons as well.

Toothless was the most comfortable of all of them with his thoughts distracted by looking for the dragons he smelled. Ever since the weird blue gem incident, he wanted nothing more than to find them. They knew something that much was obvious. After a few minutes the Nadder slowed her pace and seemed to look around. The further into the fog, the older the ships appeared or what was left of them. Sailors kept their distance from this place, and even 'would be' salvagers kept to the edge. This is the deepest the riders had ever gone in as they looked over the rotten wooden ship ruins around them. "This must be where the scent ends." Astrid declared as Stormfly hovered in place in the air. The Nadder seemed to look around carefully.

Toothless dropped out of the sky to land on the sturdiest ship he saw. The wood under one of his back claws sank under his weight, but held everywhere else. "What's up, bud? Hear something?" Hiccup asked as he looked at the alert and upright ears of his dragon.

"Maybe he hears the screech of the monster eels that live here." Tuff commented absent mindedly.

That of course unnerved a few others especially Fishlegs who held close to his dragon. "Don't worry, girl, h-he's just kidding."

"Or maybe a whole bunch of 'em" Ruff added in with a grin.

Fishleg's whimpered at the thought while Snotlout wore an uneasy expression. "So no dragons….. let's just go. Maybe they went back to the island?"

"Oh come on, Snotlout." Astrid remarked as she landed Stormfly. "Man up would you?"

"Hey I'm not scared!" He defended. "It's uh…. Hookfang. You know how dragons are with eels." The Nightmare, though bothered by the eels, wasn't happy with his rider as he lit up a small fire under him. Seconds later Snotlout jumped and landed on the ship partially falling through the deck in the process. "Hookfang!"

"Quiet!" Hiccup ordered as he watched Toothless' ears twitch. The Night Fury then placed his head against the wooden deck beneath him curiously. He then began a disdainful clicking noise as he backed away from the spot he'd investigated. "Toothless? What's wrong?"

"Uh, guys? You might want to get up here….. like now!" Fishlegs cried out in fear as he pointed to the horizon. In the dim light of the mists a large dragon like form appeared that was amplified by a flickering light at the head.

Hiccup and Toothless only saw the bolt fire just as they turned to see the mysterious dragon. It flew past them before they could even register what happened. Toothless finally responded with a roar in outrage, but felt a tug on his saddle before he could fire back. "Over here, bud!" Hiccup ordered as he pulled at the handles and swung himself on his back. The angry hiss that came from behind was all Toothless needed to remember what had his attention before. The monstrous eel that slithered up through a hole in the deck seemed only grazed by the bolt, but angry none the less. It cocked its head back to attack while Toothless jumped into the air. The incredible length of the sea beast darted forwards and easily closed the distance between it and the dragon. Before it could snap down its jaws on the Night Fury's tail, however, a large boulder appeared to fly through the air, and wedged into its mouth. The eel fell back from the impact and further damaged the ship it came out of. "What was that!?"

"Is someone launching a catapult in here?" Fishlegs wondered in amazement as he looked off into the distance. While he couldn't see the source of the boulder, he couldn't see the dragon either. "Where'd the dragon go?!" He yelped in worry.

"I think that was the dragon…." Astrid commented as she watched the boulder drop from the eel's jaws with an eerie glow. The dragon uncurled its form and landed on the ship with a defensive stance. It took no time at all for Hiccup to recognize the familiar dragon glaring at him and the others. "Spyro?" The purple dragon only responded with a fierce bolt of lightning. Though it surprised the riders and their dragons, it quickly became clear that the dragon was after the second eel that had risen up in the commotion. He then dashed over to the fresh hole that Snotlout had finally gotten out of and swiped at the monstrous eel that was emerging. His claws proved effective in forcing the creature to retreat as he watched the hole intently.

Toothless was amazed at the dragon's abilities, and how he'd not been afraid of the eels. While fighting eels was something he could do if he had to, the Night Fury knew he'd rather fly away. Just as the third eel ducked back into the boat he noticed the first one was slithering silently behind Spyro. He gave little hesitation when he charged up his attack, and blasted the eel back away from the purple dragon. Spyro seemed surprised at the assistance before flying up into the air. "Let's get out of here!" Hiccup finally announced as Toothless took flight as well. The other riders quickly complied with relief in their expressions. Spyro dashed back through the mist before any of the riders could get a solid bearing, and Toothless was quick to follow. "Toothless, what are you doing? He doesn't want us to go after him." He informed in protest, and in a loud voice audible to the other riders.

"What do you mean, Hiccup?" Astrid asked as she flew just behind. "They escaped didn't they?"

"And you couldn't find them?" Fishlegs added in from a bit further back.

Hiccup only took a passing glance back and let out a breath. "Not exactly….." He then pat Toothless' neck to get his attention. "Come on, bud." Toothless roared his disagreement as he picked up the pace. The Night Fury was gaining on the smaller dragon rather well, and seemed to be clearly faster. If it weren't for the mist, and Spyro's head start, he would have caught up. He then let out a grunt as his spine fin split with a collection of clicks. His jump in speed almost assured him catching up until this strange black smoke appeared out of nowhere.

It was thick, and Hiccup couldn't see his hand in front of his face once they were in it. While Hiccup just hugged down tighter on the Night Fury's saddle he heard disgruntled shouts from behind. Toothless was not impeded at all from his pursuit as he let out a harsh screech. His bat-like echo location ability made dark places a breeze. The determined Night Fury wouldn't let anything stop him from getting to that dragon. He knew that dragon knew something about those rocks. Those rocks did something to him, and he still didn't really understand what; but it made him stronger, faster, and more maneuverable. Hiccup could understand that much, but not everything. All he could tell was that Toothless had been determined to find those dragons since that strange glowing incident. "I don't really know what's going on with you, but if you need to find those dragons, I'm with you. Astrid should be able to lead the others out of the mists." He proclaimed to the pleasure of the black dragon he rode.

Toothless knew Astrid could handle things as well, even though he felt a little bad leaving them behind. Now that he got Hiccup's attention though, there was no way he wanted to lose that dragon. Toothless let out another screech to guide his way, and realized the purple dragon was with another before the blue bolt tore through the strange smoke. It didn't even graze him as it shot by, but their flight ended none the less. Regardless of whether the shot was to warn or if it missed, the metal on Toothless' tail pulled it right in, and the artificial fin burst into flame. He was instantly pulled to the side from the imbalance. "Whoa!" Hiccup cried out along with Toothless who was finding it very hard to straighten up.

Just keeping in the sky was hard enough as they were pulled further and further off course towards the right. After a few minutes of grazing ruined ship masts, and flags, they finally couldn't keep in the sky and tumbled down on a surprisingly solid surface. Toothless, though sore from the landing, took solace in the fact that he had gotten Hiccup safely into his wings after nearly losing him with the last mast they hit. He let out a grunt before lifting his wing to check on the human.

Hiccup leaned up with his hand on his head. "Thanks, bud, that was a close one." He said with a pained smirk. Toothless trilled with a tired expression. He happily whipped his tail around, and the frayed wires creaked from the strain. Hiccup stood up carefully on the dragon's wing since the bones could be delicate, and allowed Toothless to retract it and roll over. "Looks like we lost 'em anyway, bud." The Viking stated as he looked around the misty rock they landed on. He could see the shadows of nearby sunken boats where they'd come from, but after this rocky surface they weren't as close or common. It seemed he'd found a small island out in the ship graveyard, and they were lucky to land there instead of the water or into a ship. Now though, they had to figure out a new plan for themselves, and the dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked this location from, "Race to the Edge" and thought it would make a could climactic scene. Also, the others didn't follow as soon as the smoke came out. (Also known as Cynder's shadow breath)=^-^=


	8. The Old Dragon and the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup finds a very informative friend when he explores an old ruin in the mists.

Hiccup wasn't too terribly worried about being stranded since he always packed a spare tail in Toothless' saddle bag. He had to be careful this time though, since the connecting rod was damaged in the fall. He did not carry a spare for that. It was holding though, so he should be able to get out of the mists, and back home if he didn't do anything too crazy. After setting the new tail in place, he and Toothless started to look around. "It's pretty quiet out here, huh?" Hiccup wondered aloud, and Toothless responded with a deep whine. The Night Fury was investigating the ground which had a strange smell to it…. Something different, but….. old? Hiccup was treading the edge of the stone surface while the waters licked the worn sides. It had no sand, or pebbles as its shore; just a stone edge, and a short drop.

He took a good long look through the mists, which were thicker here then what they had seen before. He could only see around seven feet or so before the mists fully cloaked the surroundings. "Maybe there's something out here?" He questioned curiously as he continued on as Toothless kept stride nearby. He used the lack of ship wreckage before him to deduce the island was much bigger than he could see.

After a few minutes the path before them seemed darker, and a structure of some sort became visible. A large set of worn and crumbling stairs started rising out of the stone. Hiccup raised a curious brow as he took a step up and checked if they were sturdy. "Definitely something here." He stated with excitement in his tone. No one had ever been this far in the mists…. At least not, and come back to brag about it. There were no tales of what was in it aside from certain death in an assortment of painful and exaggerated ways.

Toothless suddenly seemed eager to see as he dashed up the steps ahead of the young man. "Wait for me, bud." Hiccup called as he ran up the stone steps as well. The top of the steps was not very far away, but it was further than Hiccup had expected since he couldn't see very far in the fog. He almost didn't notice the end of the stairs, and quite nearly tried to climb up another invisible step before realizing his mistake. He quickly noticed Toothless' dark shadow through the mist and dashed over to him. "What'd you find, Toothless?" The Night Fury trilled curiously as he weaved through a strange structure.

Hiccup didn't know what to make of it at first. There was nothing else around it physically, and so it struck him as odd. "An entryway…. Arch?..." He guessed aloud. What is an arch doing just sitting out in the open like that? He wandered up to it to get a better look. There was a small indention in the ground around it, which he hopped right over. It was enormous, and high like the door to the great hall. Toothless could stand head to tail in it and Hiccup would be easily able to go around him. "What is this doing out here?" He wondered again as he inspected one of the legs of the arch. The design on it was familiar with its knotted pattern, but the ivory stone was very strange. It was smooth, and precise like nothing he'd ever seen before. He trailed his hand down over the darker knot carvings in curiosity. As he looked it over, he thought he saw something shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see nothing, but it bothered him all the same.

Toothless was wandering around the other arch leg as he sniffed the base. He let out a whine as he turned to his rider. There was something weird about this thing. It smelled different… more different than anything he'd ever smelled before. Not only that, but something about it made him excited…. The air was charged between each leg. "I know, bud, this is really something alright. I wonder what it is?"

"That is not something many would think to wonder." A new voice suddenly answered. It was loud, and strong yet tired. "You are the first human to say such a thing of it." Both Toothless and Hiccup were tense as they approached each other while searching out the source of the voice. "Come now, human, if I wished you harm, I would not have spoken to you." The mists began to clear slightly, and a large shadow appeared to the left of the strange arch. After a moment, Hiccup saw the new dragon as it peered over the crumbling edge of the plateau they were on. The dragon's head alone was as big as both of them together. "You are a curious human." The dragon said as he looked down at him. "And you too, dragon, you are not like the others of this realm."

That caught both of their attentions. The word realm was also used by Spyro and Cynder. This dragon also seemed to look more like them…. Or at least the head. As the mists cleared around them completely, Hiccup was able to make out its features better. It was turquoise blue with darker blue on the fins which sat on its head and on either cheek. Its eyes were blue like the sea, and the scales looked very worn all over its head. He also noticed two horns bending back very close to the skull which were mostly hidden by the fins on its face. The most drawing feature though, was the thick metal like rings on his horns. If they hadn't shined like they did, he would have missed the horns completely. "Are you from the Dragon Realms?" Hiccup asked as he remembered the things he'd talked about with the two smaller dragons.

The large dragon appeared surprised at the question. "That would be hard to answer, human, but perhaps it is your limited knowledge? You seem unsure of what you are asking." He responded with a friendly expression. "Tell me first though, what are your intentions now that you are faced with a dragon such as me? Certainly you find it odd that we speak the same tongue? Malicious intention will be met accordingly."

Hiccup took a moment to take in the question before responding. "I don't have any intention of attacking you." Toothless agreed with a grunt as he sat beside Hiccup. "And neither does Toothless, unless you attack us first." That last part was merely a formality since he didn't think this dragon was going to do anything like that. He seemed far too intelligent and sensible as he looked over the two of them with a scrutinous gaze.

"Then I bid you welcome, strange human, and dragon. You are the first friendly guests I have seen in quite some time." The dragon seemed to sink back before bursting from the water with a mighty flap of his wings. He flew gently before hovering over the area just behind the arch. He landed on that spot which sat up a small flight of stairs which could have led to some other structure though it had crumbled to small ruins. The sheer size of this dragon made both of them take a few steps back on his approach. Aside from the Red Death, they had never seen a dragon this big, even bigger than the Screaming Death by far. He took a few heavy steps down the steps which fit his claws far better than it did Hiccup's feet. "If you wish, I am called Tidus, and yes I hail from a Dragon Realm as do all dragons. Might I inquire as to what you are called, human, as I have already gathered the name of your dragon companion."

Hiccup snapped out of his amazement to answer. "My name's Hiccup."

"Greetings, Hiccup, and Toothless." Tidus responded back as he sat down just to the side of the arch. "Now, what brings the two of you to this ominous place far in the ocean? Certainly you did not come seeking me." He knew that no one could have known about him. No human who had seen him, had ever returned to inform others; of that he made sure.

Hiccup crossed his arms as he thought of how to explain. "We started out looking for a new dragon that was seen on an island near here. When we followed into the mist we realized the dragon wasn't really new at all. We'd seen him before." Toothless let out a grunt in agreement as he turned his head to look up at the dragon.

"So you are a seeker of things then? Not an uncommon trade for you humans, though never have I seen one with a dragon companion. The humans always seemed at odds with what remains of the dragons in this realm. Yet you treat this one as an equal. Most curious." Tidus noted as he leaned his head down closer.

"Well, I guess it started out that way huh, bud?" Toothless rolled his eyes at the comment. He didn't even need to address it, and the Night Fury really couldn't care less. Once they became friends nothing else mattered, not even their histories.

"And it would seem he holds you in that regard as well, Hiccup." Tidus then grinned with his worn scales drooping it ever so slightly. "I am happy to see a human with such an open mind. Even your reaction to me was very different than what I have experienced before."

Hiccup seemed understanding of that since he knew Berk was an odd village nowadays. Everywhere else was kill or be killed. "Thank you, but that's not really it, Tidus. You see, the dragon we followed in here could speak as well. He was the one who mentioned the Dragon Realms, and he looked kind of like you….. only smaller."

Tidus was very surprised by this nugget of information as he lifted his head. "Another dragon like me? A little one? Could it be that a new dragon has arrived here somehow?" He then looked towards the arch to inspect it. "How could the feat have been accomplished while the door remains closed?" He threaded his head through the arch with a confused expression.

"Is that what this is? Some sort of door?" Hiccup inquired from the odd response.

Tidus lifted his head again and nodded. "Yes, or it was. I do not know if it will ever serve such a purpose again. The magic of this realm is all but gone, and so this door remains closed off from all others. That begs the question, however, of how this young dragon arrived here."

Hiccup scratched his head a bit. "He told me they arrived suddenly in a heavy storm. It was several days ago if I remember right."

Tidus' eyes widened. "They….. as in more than one? How many dragons like me have you seen Hiccup?"

"Two, but I only saw Spyro here in the mists. I think the other one, Cynder, is here with him though."

Tidus wore an almost excited expression. "Two more dragons have arrived? Certainly it has been far too long since I last conversed with my own kind. I should hope to see them then, should they stay long enough for our paths to cross."

Hiccup seemed confused by the comment. "If you really want to see them, then why not go and look for them?"

Tidus shook his head. "I haven't much strength for a journey and I made a promise to never leave this doorway unguarded…." He paused a moment and leaned back down to his guests. "Pardon my mutterings, but would you be willing to listen to the story of an old dragon?" He asked with a soft expression. He truly seemed to enjoy just speaking to the two of them.

Hiccup turned to Toothless who just decided to lay down in response. "Sure, we'll listen." He responded as he took a seat on the stone.

Tidus chuckled as he thought of where to begin. "It was a long time ago when I was a young dragon that I came to reside in the Magic Crafters home world. All Dragon Realms are linked to a Dragon Home world, and the home worlds are linked to each other. I originally came from the Artisan Home where my Realm was known as Dragon Shores."

"Artisan Home?" Hiccup interrupted in surprise. "I'm pretty sure that's where Spyro said he was from."

Tidus seemed surprised by the revelation. "Oh is he? Quite a treat then to hear it is doing well since young dragons still call it home." He mused before getting back to the story. "Now where was I?... Oh yes, my greatest friend, Myzark, was studying the lost realms in Magic Crafters Home, and had requested my assistance. He had found one of the old portals that was still intact, and was working on a way to get it open again." He gestured to the arch before them. "He had a theory, but would require another dragon to complete his test. One who he knew was strong enough to assist him. We spent many years attempting to activate it before finally getting the result we wanted." He stated rather fondly before his expression fell. "If ever so shortly…." He let out a sigh. "After getting it open I volunteered to venture to this forgotten realm and see where it led, if it truly connected at all; it did. The experience was exciting as I found myself in a strange and wondrous new realm, but I soon found myself trapped when the doorway closed after only a few minutes. Before going through, Myzark had told me to be wary of what I saw and to not let anything dangerous back through until we knew what we were dealing with. Even though I am now trapped, I do not plan to break that promise." He ended with a stern yet tired expression.

Hiccup thought over the story intently as something seemed to nag at him. "You were investigating the forgotten realms…. And got stuck…. Here? This is a Dragon Realm?" Hiccup finally asked in bewilderment.

"Indeed, Hiccup, you are very clever to have caught that." Tidus praised with a grin. "The smartest human I have ever met though not many have stumbled across my misty isle. I keep it well guarded with tragic tides, and blinding mists."

Hiccup took a good look around in surprise. The mist still looked thick except where they were now. "So you made this ship graveyard like this?"

"Indeed, Hiccup, though the natural mists of these waters were what sparked the idea. As you may have gathered from my appearance, I am a water dragon. As such, I bend all forms of water to my will like the tides and the mists. I could even produce a torrent of rain had I the power left." He declared grandly as he looked to the obscured sky. "But my power has waned with no way to replenish my mana reserves. Certainly now I could clearly theorize why these realms were disconnected since I haven't found any of the magic gems that result from the land's latent energies."

"Gems…? Hold on," Hiccup requested as the thought came to him. He opened up the saddle bag on Toothless and rummaged a bit for the bag Fishlegs had given him. He pulled out a single green gem and Tidus' eyes widened two fold.

"Where did you come upon that!?" He asked as he leaned down closer than he ever had.

"A friend of mine found them washed up on our island." Hiccup informed as he pulled out a few more. "And trader Johann found some out in the waters just outside the mists."

Tidus seemed more than baffled by the sudden development. He reached one claw out. "May I, Hiccup? Just a few would make me feel truly alive again." He requested in a tired tone.

Toothless answered for him as he roared happily. Of course he could use some. Tidus had been more than helpful to them, and it could also help him understand the stone better. What exactly had it done to him before? Hiccup seemed to almost laugh at his dragon's eager attitude. The young Viking pulled out a good handful and held them out to the old dragon. "You have my deepest gratitude young human, and you as well, young dragon." He then held his claw just over the open palm of Hiccup and closed his eyes. The green aura erupted instantly from the gems, and moved to wrap around the large dragon like a swarm of insects around food. He took a deep breath as the aura faded, and then moved to stand back up. "Oh, to feel the magic of the gems again!" He bellowed happily, now seeming a tad younger than he did. "Now if only I weren't so old I could speed the currents of the ocean with reckless abandon as I did in my youth." He mused with a chuckle. He then looked down at his guests. "You both have brought me more than I could ever hope for after so long. Perhaps now, I could find my way to meet those young dragons. You mentioned they were in the mists before. Should I be so lucky to meet a fellow water dragon, Hiccup?" He wondered with a renewed gleam in his eye.

Hiccup shook his head with a pleased expression. "I don't think so. Spyro told me that Cynder was a poison dragon, and that he was a Purple dragon. That part confused me a little though since he could breathe fire a-"

"By the great seas! My hearing must be going for you surely did not say he was a Purple Dragon?" Tidus interrupted with shock and awe on his face.

Hiccup seemed hesitant to answer but nodded. "Yes he is. He was explicit about that because they could use all kinds of breath attacks." He then thought about them and began to list what he knew. "Let's see fire, lightning…. Some kind of boulder like attack…"

Tidus spread his wings with gusto without waiting for Hiccup to finish. "Then I must hurry to find him immediately. Perhaps this strange shift in the seas is not merely my imagination! It could be that my hope to once again see my home could come to fruition!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tidus is an OC dragon that's really just supposed to be like a dottering old man personality wise. (He's been a bit lonely as you can imagine) Also, sorry that there isn't much action, but that's not what this story is. This is mostly suppose to be an adventure of sorts, and a mild mystery for the reader to try and figure out as I go. Lot's of puzzle pieces are in this chapter I think.=^-^=


	9. Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eels have been hiding a secret.

"Can we please get out of this fog now!?" Snotlout complained as he kept watch on the murky waters below. He, and the rest of the riders had been flying around aimlessly looking for Hiccup who had disappeared in the black cloud.

"Not until we find Hiccup." Astrid replied angrily for the tenth time. "You wouldn't want us to leave you in here alone would you?"

Snotlout shrugged. "What's that matter? I'm not the one missing." Astrid just rolled her eyes and turned away. She didn't want to put up with him anymore, but she needed help searching this place since it was so misty. She then turned to Fishleg's who, believe it or not, didn't look scared at all. He was going over his cards, while jotting down something on his note pad. "Don't tell me you're not looking either?" Astrid asked as Stormfly banked closer to Meatlug.

"Huh? No….. I was just going over that dragon from before. Not only can it breath fire, but lightning, and then it does this boulder attack… or something like that I guess. I've just never seen a dragon able to all that." He then tapped his chin. "Not to mention how Hiccup was acting about it. It's like he knew something about them, but was surprised it could breathe lightning too."

Astrid crossed her arms. "And he let them go." She stated as she remembered the unfinished admission of the Night Fury rider. "Since when does Hiccup just let a dragon go without telling anyone? I mean, he didn't even give a reason." She continued.

"Yeah, and then there's the name." Fish began again. "I don't know about you, but I heard Hiccup call that dragon Spyro."

"That's a dumb name." Snotlout remarked as he leaned over Hookfang's horns.

"And you would know dumb wouldn't you?" Tuff heckled as he spun his helmet around his head in boredom.

"You too." Ruff added in as she leaned on one arm and watched him.

Snotlout simply sneered at them before slumping back over his dragon's horns. "Whatever."

"Anyway, why would Hiccup name a dragon he let go without training it, or even really trying?" Fishleg's continued after dismissing the pointless interruption.

"I don't know but-" A sudden screech broke out around them that instantly unsettled the dragons. Astrid grabbed for her ax as she strained through the harsh tone. Behind her, several girlish screams rang out despite only one of them being a girl at all. "Stay together!" Astrid ordered as most of them slowly drifted to the closest ruined ship for cover.

"Leave this place or stay at your own peril!" A strange feminine voice commanded. "You have been warned! There is danger below the surface!"

Astrid quickly noted the voice coming from a large cloud of the black smoke from earlier. "We're not going anywhere without Hiccup!" She called out.

"Uh actually…. Don't you think maybe Hiccup is fine on his own?... You know…. With his Night Fury?" Tuff tried to reason.

"Yeah, I mean, he could be half way to Berk by now." Snotlout added in.

"I can't believe you guys!" Astrid chided as she watched all of them full of fear just because some voice in a black cloud said it was dangerous.

"Not just that…" Fishlegs whimpered as he hugged Meatlug tightly and looked down. It was clear that a large amount of something was moving just under the surface…. Some creatures. "… You remember that whole thing about this place being eel infested don't you?" He finished with a whine. All the dragons seemed to agree with him even Stormfly much to Astrid's displeasure. It was unfortunate though, that the eels didn't seem ready to let them leave. In some sort of coordinated attack, several of them leapt out at the dragons with deep hisses as they approached. There must have been six of them to do it, and it was probably only dumb luck all the dragons dodged since they were so panicked.

"Okay, that's it! I'm so outta here!" Snotlout called as Hookfang flew higher up. The Nightmare was preparing to barrel out of the mist all together when a bolt of green energy hit his torso. Hookfang roared in pain as he dropped from the sky rather quickly and splashed into the waters below. To the relief of the others though, the attack only seemed to stun him as both Snotlout and Hookfang now flailed at the surface. "Help! For the love of Thor help me!"

"What was that just now!?" Astrid shouted as she looked around defensively.

"Just the mother of all eels!" Tuff almost screamed.

"And it's hungry!" Ruff added in as they dashed behind Stormfly.

Astrid quickly locked eyes with the terrible creature. It was almost five times the size of the other eels, and its pale green eyes stood out from the darkish blue that was the rest of it. It let out a low hiss as its head turned towards the downed prey in the water, and a yellow green fin shot up from its spine. After a brief rearing motion it sprang towards the young Viking hungrily with its jaw open wide.

Snotlout hugged Hookfang's neck as they both watched in terror as the monstrous eel dove for them. "I'm gonna miss you Hoofang!" Just as the eel's jump hit its climax another creature burst from the mists. It was far larger than the eel, and seemed to grab it as it made its way through. The eel let out a struggling hiss as it was carried completely out of the water by the new creature, and the waters below stilled almost instantly. All eyes were on the misty form perched on a large ship ruin with the eel seemingly in its jaws. The only indication of its form came from the electrical sparks that flew off the eel to illuminate the beast.

"Is that a…. dragon?" Fish wondered with fear still evident on his features. A sickening snap was heard in response as the eel went limp, and the sparks stopped.

"Would it be smart to stick around to find out?" Ruff wondered while Tuff nodded in agreement and pointed at her for emphasis.

Astrid remained pensive a moment as she looked at the obscured creature chew the monstrous eel that tried to eat one of them. When a familiar roar rang out she finished all deliberations and hurried to find it. "Hiccup!?"

"You were expecting someone else?" He remarked as the Night Fury approached at a lagging pace. "Sorry it took me so long, but my connecting rod might break if we fly too fast." He informed as Toothless hovered with the others.

"See? Hiccup's fine! I almost got eaten! Thank all of you for not helping me or Hookfang out of the water!" The irate Viking shouted as Hookfang used his sharp claws to scale a nearby shipwreck.

"Okay, we found Hiccup. Shouldn't we maybe… get out of here before that giant dragon has us for desert?" Fishleg's requested as he tapped his fingers together nervously.

"It's alright guys. This dragon is a friend of ours." He revealed as he pat Toothless' neck. The Night Fury then flew a little ways over to the new dragon. "Thanks for stopping that eel Tidus."

The dragon showed slight movement as the long body of the eat fell away to the ship he stood on. A few crunches later, and a response finally came. "You are quit welcome Hiccup. The eels of these waters are some of my favorites if I were to be honest. They give quit the energy boost." He then lowered his head to the rest of the eel. "This lightning eel is especially scrumptious." He mused as he took another bite.

Hiccup then turned to his friends who were all speechless and very confused. He seemed to remember they didn't know about talking dragons, and wore a sheepish expression. "He's uh…. An Artisan dragon?" He informed with a muddled tone.

"You mean like those other two?" Fishlegs responded. He had talked to Hiccup the previous day about a new kind of class for them since they were so different. Hiccup remembered the Artisan place Spyro told him he was from, and said it without thinking.

"What's going on here Hiccup?" Astrid demanded in an agitated tone. There was a lot of missing information, and it was time she got an answer.

Hiccup seemed to paused, and think in over before responding. "Alright, but let's find Spyro and Cynder first. We can all talk this over after that."

"Spyro and Cynder? So you named both of them?" Fish asked with slight disappointment that he'd done it without him.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, Fishleg's, those are their names. They told me… ugh…" He sighed. "Artisan dragons can talk like Tidus here." Toothless then let out a grunt. "You're right bud, this is not the time for this."

"Yes, despite this delicious meal, I would like to find the purple dragon as soon as possible, and return to the portal. I fear leaving it unguarded for long." Tidus added in as he took what was left of the eel in his claws. He then took off, and hovered a bit closer. "Which direction shall we pursue next Hiccup?"

The young Viking didn't know what to say right away since he wasn't sure. "Well… I lost them in that dark cloud, and I'm not sure where he went after that. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face let alone where Spyro went after that."

"Hmm? A cloak of shadow you say? Perhaps it was Spyro who conjured it up in order to stave off your chasing him. As a purple dragon he is quite capable of learning the breath of shadows."

Hiccup's intrigue was shared by several of the riders. "Shadow breath?"

"Like a Smothering Smoke Breath." Fish stated as he jumped into the conversation.

"Yes, shadow is one of numerous elements we of the Dragon Realms can master though quite uncommon."

Astrid was very eager to hear more about these strange things Hiccup and Tidus were talking about, but allowed Hiccup his reprieve. "If it's a large smoky cloud you're looking for, we saw one before the eels showed up. Over there." She pointed about 40 degrees to the right of Tidus.

"Then I implore that you lead the way young human, for you know what it is we are looking for." Tidus suggested as he hovered slightly away to give her passage.

She looked at him warily before having Stormfly begin in the aforementioned direction. "You better explain this." She commanded as she passed Hiccup who followed her right after.

"I promise Astrid, I mean it." He pleaded back with an appeasing tone.

"Oh I'll make sure of that." Tidus gave the riders a wide berth as he listened in. He hadn't had much experience with humans before, but he found they were quit similar to dragons at times. They could be violent, deceitful, and at the same time caring. He had found it strange that he saw that in Hiccup before even knowing his name.

* * *

"You did what you could." Spyro stated as watched out into the mists.

Cynder had just returned a few minutes ago after investigating those dragon riders that had followed them. "Yes, but why did they follow us? Hiccup said he wouldn't right?" She wore an angry expression. "Why do you trust him?"

Spyro turned to her with a breath. "I don't really know, but I do…. I don't think he did it on purpose."

"Why else would he come into this annoying mist!? I can barely find my way through it with my wind breath. This place is obviously not somewhere humans go unless they have too." She countered as she gestured to all of the sunken ships they could see through the mist. "We should go someplace else before they find us." She insisted as she walked over to the rather large pile of gems they collected. "This place doesn't have many gems anyway."

Spyro shook his head. "No…. I think we should stay." He stated in a serious tone. "I understand why you don't want them to find us. I realize it sounds crazy, but we know nothing of this place. The dragons here don't seem interested in anything but food and territory." He continued as he thought back to the two he fought off last night.

"If that's what the dragons are like, then what about the humans? Do you really want to deal with them!?" Cynder shot back in retaliation.

Spyro looked back at the mist. "Of course not Cynder, but Hiccup already told us that remember? Only in that village was there any sort of peace between humans and dragons." He then let out a sigh as he sat down. "This place is…. Different Cynder. Maybe running away isn't the answer."

Cynder looked confused and almost hurt. "Are you saying we should go back there? Do you want to be some sort of pet? You saw how those dragons were." She tried to reason with fear coming into her tone. She always preferred a brave front, but the very idea of being enslaved again was terrifying.

"No Cynder, but remember those dragons? Toothless seemed happy there. That human wasn't telling him to do anything. Maybe they aren't pets in the normal sense… more like companions?"

Cynder sat down next to him with a look of deep thought. "You're thinking about Sparx aren't you?"

Spyro nodded. "I was, but that's not why. I was thinking back to when I first started learning about dragons, about who I was." He took a side glance at her. "I wanted to know all I could, and that's how Hiccup seemed to me. I was just so scared at the thought of not having a way back home… Of something happening, especially to you." He explained. "I'm still afraid."

Cynder rubbed her muzzle on his cheek. "Me too. If you hadn't convinced him to let us leave, I would have forced our way out." She then let out a sigh of her own. "Why did this happen? Haven't we done enough? I know you have Spyro."

The purple dragon seemed to blush as he looked back out into the mist. "I don't know. I wish Master Ignitous was here… he'd know what to do."

Cynder gave him a sympathetic expression as she leaned on him. When he suddenly tensed up though, she jolted up. "What's wrong?"

"The mist…. It's clearing." He stated as he got to his feet as well. Both dragons stepped back and took defensive stances while watching the horizon grow further and further back.

They quickly noticed the flying forms in the distance, and Cynder narrowed her eyes. "They found us!"

Spyro seemed to be looking a bit further as he held a claw to keep her back. "Hold on…. There's more."

Cynder looked at him incredulously. "More? You're not going to just give in are you? What do we know about them?" She asked with a sharp tone.

Their argument was coming full circle as Spyro shook his head. "No Cynder, but you're right. What do we know about them? What have we assumed about them?" Cynder stopped cold as she realized what he meant. Just because you think something, doesn't make it true. Everyone thought she was evil after all…. Stormfly roared as she spotted the dragons, and Toothless followed in chorus. The Nadder planted down solidly first and kept her distance from the dragons.

Toothless hovered a moment as Hiccup looked down at them. "Please just let me say, I wasn't trying to chase after you, before we say anything else." He declared with a humble expression as Toothless landed safely beside the Nadder. "At least it started that way." He finished as he rubbed the back of his head. The other riders began to land as well though Fishlegs kept close to Hiccup while the others just set down away from the edge nearby.

"Then what are you doing here? Why come after us now?" Spyro asked calmly standing just in front of Cynder protectively.

"That is my doing young dragon. Please do not place blame on Hiccup." Tidus' voice boomed as the mist cleared dramatically at his declaration. He fell down through the cleared area, and landed with practiced ease to the side of the others. "It was my request that he bring me to meet you, a purple dragon. Please do not be angered by my selfish request."

Both Spyro and Cynder were surprised to see this dragon which was so much like them. "You're not from here either!?" Spyro called out in astonishment.

Tidus took a seat and dropped his eel before him. "No I am not young dragon, but my way was probably not yours if what this human has told me is true."

Both Spyro and Cynder dashed towards him with obvious relieved expressions. They had just about lost hope for getting home or ever talking to another dragon again. "We don't know how we got here, but how did you?"

Tidus wore a grin. "I traveled in the more proper way through the portal to this realm."

"Then do you know how we can get back to the Dragon Realms?" Cynder cut in with an eager tone.

Tidus wore an even wider grin. "While I do understand what you mean, I fear I cannot take you back to where you already are."

Spyro furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? This isn't the Dragon Realms. Hiccup told me so." He gestured to the boy with curious gaze. "Didn't you?" He was pretty sure he did, but….. could it have been a lie?

"Young Spyro, please calm yourself. I fear you are under the same misunderstanding as Hiccup once was. This world is, in fact, a Dragon Realm. If not one that has not been seen by dragons as us in ages." He then let out a breath. "But I will give you a moment to think on my words. I wish to finish this eel while it remains fresh." He sounded a bit like a doddering old man when he said that, but who was going to stop him? He was bigger than all of them combined.

"Do you think he's telling us the truth?" Cynder whispered to Spyro with a raised brow.

"I sounds strange, but I have heard of forgotten realms before." He whispered back.

Toothless seemed to see something odd, and walked over to the eel as Tidus tore off another chunk. He trilled in curiosity, and Tidus swallowed.

"Be my guest Young Toothless. There is plenty of eel to share."

Hiccup looked up to him, and it finally dawned on him. "Wait… I thought dragons hated eels?"

"Except the Typhoomerang." Fish countered with an intellectual tone.

Tidus seemed confused. "Well, I suppose there are some who do not like eel, but I knew many who did."

Toothless continued his investigation at the opened belly of the dead creature. "It's supposed to make them go crazy with their fire attacks." It wasn't a pleasant memory for Hiccup or Toothless as the Night Fury flinched at the mention.

"The Typhoomerang used it to increase their natural shot limit though. They're the only dragons who seemed to be able to control it." Fish continued as he walked over with Meatlug at his heels.

Hiccup hopped off Toothless to get a look at what he was looking at. "Yeah but now that I think about it….." He walked over to the other side which left Tidus unable to continue to eat. "This explains it!" He declared as he used a small knife to lift a flap of flesh. It appeared to be the eel's stomach as some fluid poured out along with bone remains, and several green crystals. "You said these green ones give you power right? What if all eels have these inside them?"

Fishlegs seemed excited at the revelation. "Then dragons who eat them get more power! Like the Typhoomerang."

Astrid crossed her arms. "Yeah, but I've never gotten anything like this in any of the eels I've eaten Hiccup. I think I'd remember."

Tidus stroked his beard fin. "Perhaps this is why this particular eel is so much bigger than the others? The energies of this realm have obviously shifted recently, and so maybe the crystals have as well? They could have been far smaller, and less in number. I have never found any in all the time I'd been here until you gave me some Hiccup. It could be that these creatures are a remnant of what used to draw from them naturally, and have since siphoned what gems have been able to form here." He reasoned with obvious intrigue. His knowledge of lost realms was limited, and he greatly wished Myzark was here to help.

"That makes sense in a way." Fish agreed as he rubbed his chin.

"If they did, then the dragons could never get any, which is why they get a power over load when they eat eels." Hiccup continued for him. "This is amazing!" He declared as he kneeled down to look more closely.

Toothless continued to look at the dead eel in thought. He never liked eel because it made him feel funny…. But so did those crystals. That blue one was like eating five eels at once or something. Then the green one… it didn't feel as bad. It actually felt pretty good. He turned his head at the slimy flesh before an idea came to him. What if he ate this eel? These other dragons who use gems eat them? He now used those strange crystals even though he didn't really understand. He thought it over a moment more before taking a bite much to Hiccup's amazement. "Toothless? What are you doing!?" He stood and rushed to the Night Fury's side as he swallowed. Toothless licked his lips a bit, and waited a moment. Though he might come to regret this, his curiosity was getting the better of him. Maybe it's all this time with Hiccup that's made him less cautious? The adventure was more than worth it most of the time though, and well worth a little eel sickness. "You okay bud?" Hiccup asked as he looked Toothless in the eye. The Night Fury seemed frozen a moment before licking his face out of nowhere. Hiccup stumbled back in recoil. "Uh! Toothless!" The Night Fury laughed in amusement before going for another bit of the eel. He didn't feel sick at all, and this was almost as good as cod. Hiccup shook some of the saliva off as he watched his dragon eat.

Fishlegs seemed about to explode in excitement. "Oh my gods! He's eating eel! This… this is… I don't know what to call it." He poorly expressed.

Hiccup kneeled by his dragon and brushed up against his wing as he did so. Toothless let out an annoyed grunt in response. "Huh?" He looked and a nick at the last joint of his wing. "Oh sorry bud. That must've happened when we had that rough landing." He gently took hold of last set of bones and looked at the damage. It didn't look too bad, but it could cause a horrible tear if they keep going on it.

Tidus watched curiously until his eyes landed back on the two younger dragons like him. "Young ones, could I bother you for a few of your red gems?" He requested as he stood up. "I couldn't help but notice such abundance, and this catch gave me quit the fight." He explained as he turned to reveal the lashing burns on his neck caused by the electrical shocks. Normally he could ignore them, but with red gems so available at the moment it seemed pointless.

"Of course Tidus." Spyro responded with a smile. From what he saw, Tidus was genuine in character. Cynder seemed hesitant for a moment though it was quickly forgotten when Spyro took up the gems in his mouth. She grabbed some as well and brought them over to the old dragon.

"My thanks. I'm getting to old for such things I believe." He lamented as he placed his claw over them. Much like with the green and blue gems, a light radiated from them and they vanished as it wrapped around the dragon. Hiccup and Fishlegs watched in amazement as the burns they saw dissolved away. "Ah, much better." Tidus expressed as he dipped down to his meal. "Please, if you are hungry, do not be shy. You are welcome to some."

The two young dragons traded glances before accepting the offer. They hadn't caught anything all day, so it was welcomed. "Thanks Tidus." Spyro then took a bite after Cynder.

Hiccup looked back at the pile and then to Toothless. First the blue one…. Then the green one…. Maybe this red one too? He looked back at the tear on Toothless' wing and thought some more. "Maybe…?" He dug through the bag again and found the pouch. "Toothless." He called as the dragon tore off a bite for himself. "Come here a sec bud." The Night Fury turned to him as he swallowed. When Hiccup pulled out one of the red gems he was instantly intrigued. Was he going to try what Tidus just did? He looked at it warily in Hiccup's palm. "Why don't you give it a try?" Hiccup suggested as he put it on the ground. Toothless investigated it a bit and let out a curious whine. "What could it hurt right?" True, the other times had been weird, but it never really hurt. With only a little moment's hesitation he placed his left claw over it, and the reaction they both expected occurred. The red aura of the crystal moved to Toothless as he looked at it wrap around him. He grunted in slight annoyance, but it was far tamer than before. He then held out his wing, and Hiccup held it still to see. "It's… gone bud." It wasn't just gone, everything was gone. The soreness he still felt from his crash before was gone as well.

"So new friends of mine, I remember you wished to return to your own realms? Hiccup had told me that you Spyro, hail from the Artisan realm as I do." Tidus began after taking his fill.

Spyro and Cynder looked back up to him. "Yes, I do. We need to get back as soon as possible Tidus."

"If there is a back to go back too." Cynder added in with a somber tone.

Spyro let out a breath before continuing. "There must be something." He stated resolutely. "I can feel it Cynder."

Tidus wore a smile. "No doubt young dragon, you know what you should know. As a purple dragon you have a greater connection to heart of our worlds than even a crystal dragon such was my friend Myzark." He then stood up. "But let us go, and I will show you more of what I mean. If we can indeed return from whence we came that is." He added in with a wily grin. He then turned to the large pile of gems. "It will most likely require a great deal of power, we must have blue gems of awakening if nothing else."

All eyes turned to the pile, and a few annoyed expressions arose when they saw a few somewhat bored teens playing in them. "Do I look rich yet?" Tuff asked his sister as held up a makeshift necklace of green and red gems.

"Oh yes." She responded as she looked at one she'd somehow pinned her hand like a ring. Snotlout was piling them into his helmet greedily while wearing a few in his clothes as well.

Hiccup let out an exasperated sigh. "I should be grateful they haven't blown anything up yet shouldn't I?"

Astrid gave a nod. "Yeah, you should, but we really don't have time for this." She then turned to her dragon. "Stormfly? If you could?" The Nadder happily complied as she readied her tail. A single swing, and a torrent of spikes went flying at the ridiculous Vikings. Both Tuff and Snotlout found themselves pinned back to a ship several yards away white Ruff had noticed just in time to dive into the gems for safety.

"Two out three, not bad." Hiccup commented.

"We've been practicing." Astrid replied with a proud smirk as she pat the Nadder's muzzle.

Spyro and Cynder dashed for the pile of gems and began to sift through them. "Now we need to find the blue ones Cynder." She nodded as she pulled one up in her teeth. "Of course." She placed it to the side and jumped back in. Toothless quickly joined in along with the other riders who weren't pinned to something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's kinda random but that thing with eels just came to me and I thought it would be a cool way to explain some of the connection to the dragon realms. The next chapter will be the last, and will explain everything more clearly I hope.


	10. New Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toothless has a bone to pick and he has to use a portal to do it.

After gathering all the blue gems from the young dragons' horde and a few others, Tidus led the group back to his adopted home with the portal. Of course a few of the riders volunteered to 'guard the rest' just in case, and stayed behind. He landed solidly near the top as he had when first addressing Hiccup while the others landed at the edge of the stairs. Hiccup, who carried the gems in his saddle bag, took them out and poured them on the ground just outside the engraved ring in the floor. Tidus looked over the pile and then to the arch. "This is the portal young dragons."

Spyro, and Cynder seemed very confused by the sight. "Portal? It's just an arch." Spyro pointed out.

Cynder dashed up to one of the legs and seemed just as confused. "Is it supposed to do something?"

Tidus chuckled. "Surely you have seen a portal before young ones. How else do you travel from one realm to another?"

Cynder raised an annoyed brow. "We fly of course, how else?"

Tidus seemed bewildered by that. "But not all realms can be…." He paused as a thought came to him. He had been gone for… centuries… His eyes then widened at the implications of his thoughts. "Could it very well be that the portals have all lost their magic…?" He wondered aloud. "My dear friend…. You knew this was to come…" He muttered softly to himself.

"Calm yourself Tidus…. We must act quickly." Tidus along with Spyro, Cynder, and Toothless all jerked their heads towards the crystals. The old sea dragon seemed bewildered by the strange yet familiar voice calling from them.

"What was that?" Spyro asked aloud as he stepped towards them.

"What was what?" Hiccup asked. He, Astrid, and Fishlegs were the only teens to come along while the others stayed with the treasure.

"That voice just now." Spyro clarified as he inspected the gems.

"You didn't hear it?" Cynder wondered as she approached them as well.

Hiccup turned to the others and received shrugs. He was then surprised by an annoyed grunt from Toothless. The Night Fury knew that voice and he didn't like it one bit. He growled at the gems with a glare. "You heard it bud?" Toothless responded with a grunt of annoyance while never taking his eyes off them.

"My voice….. it's too weak to be heard by others….. only dragons in tune with the crystals."

Spyro gave the pile a wary gaze, and faintly recalled something like this happening before. "Are you… the Chronicler?"

"No I am not young Spyro, but I implore you….. please listen…" The strange aura of the crystals seemed to fade as the voice fell away.

"The energies are weakening Spyro. You must strengthen them with your powers." Tidus implored.

Spyro looked up at him. "Strengthen them? I don't know what you mean Tidus. I have only ever drawn strength from crystals."

Tidus shook his head. "All dragons do, but certain dragons are able to strengthen them. Myzark, as a crystal dragon, is one such dragon. You, being a purple dragon, are also capable of this. Your power holds the most direct connection to the heart, the very source of our power gems." Spyro still seemed uncertain as he looked over the gems. He had never been taught about this before…. He only knew the gems were a source of power and life for all dragons.

A short growl announced Toothless' approach to the pile. Although he didn't like the strange voice of the crystals, he did remember something it said before. He had to show Spyro something…. Though he wasn't really sure what it was. Spyro looked at him as he took a spot on the other side of the small pile. "Do you know what he means?" He asked impulsively before remembering Toothless can't talk like him. The Night Fury let out a trill as he looked down at them closely. He then raised his head again and looked behind himself. After a moment he arched his back and split the fin the traced his spine. As soon as he did so, a feint blue glow emanated from his torso. It slowly grew brighter, and spread along his back from his nose to the base of his tail. It was just like the first time he saw the blue crystal and touched it. Spyro simply looked at the display in avid interest. So far the black dragon showed nothing like this nor had any of the other dragons. He looked up at the larger dragon who was looking down with an analytical gaze.

"Spyro, the crystals." Cynder directed from his side.

He looked down as well, and saw their glow pulse a little bit along with the glow from Toothless. "How are you doing this?" Spyro asked in astonishment. Somehow this strange dragon was affecting the energy in the crystals. Toothless had no answer for it though since he wasn't even sure what he was doing. Somehow…. It just seemed like that's what he was supposed to do… maybe…. He took a moment to think while Spyro anticipated his abstract answer. The voice had told him to show Spyro something, but the only thing he'd ever done was…. He then raised his left claw over the crystals like he'd done before. It was the only thing he'd actually been told to do before. He remained like that a moment before grunting at the smaller purple dragon. He then gestured to his claw with his head, and grunted again. "Me too?" Spyro asked as he complied with the supposed request. He held his claw over the pile from the opposite side, and the glow immediately intensified.

Cynder took a step back as the glow encased Spyro in an aura, and the young dragon's eyes eclipsed in a light purple light. Toothless was frozen in place as the blue glow within him increased, and his eyes became transfixed on those of Spyro. It was the strangest thing…. As if he were there and not…? The strange staring contest continued for several minutes before the Night Fury broke away with a grunt. He stepped to the side while shaking the strange feeling from his head. "You alright bud?" Hiccup asked as he dashed to his scaled companion. Toothless groaned as he adjusted his footing.

"Spyro… are you…?"

"Yes, Cynder." He responded while the aura and glow remained. "I understand now…." He finished as he reared up on his hind legs. He held out his fore claws before him and the blue glow of the crystals on the ground jumped from their resting positions. The light scattered to fill the ring engraved around the arch like water. While the dragons had their eyes on Spyro, Hiccup held his gaze to the arch. Something had begun to shimmer inside it like he'd seen before. Just as the ring was filled, a matching glow began to trace the outline of the inner arch. A bright flash followed and the shimmer grew to be a medley of colors that many of them had never even seen before.

"The portal! You have restored it young dragon!" Tidus exclaimed with almost disbelief. He walked around the arch to see from the same view as the others, and saw as the text began to form inside the twisting light of the portal.

"The Magic Crafters Home World?" Hiccup read aloud. It was strange how the text seemed foreign at first but then it was suddenly in the runic script he knew.

"Yes Hiccup, that is indeed where this portal leads."

"Are you okay, Spyro?" Cynder asked in worry.

Spyro no longer glowed like before, and seemed rather disoriented as he sat down outside the ring. "I think so Cynder…. I wasn't prepared for that…." He held his head with one claw while holding himself up with the other.

"We mustn't linger young ones." Tidus declared as he turned to the portal. "We do not know how long this shall last."

Before anyone else, however, Toothless dashed through the portal with Hiccup just barely able to grab hold of his harness in time to go with him. "Whoa bud-"

"Hiccup!" Astrid called out in surprise as she watched them both disappear into the portal. After a moment she too dashed towards the portal, but was thwarted by her own dragon. Stormfly tugged at her skirt with a fearful whine. Meatlug seemed to agree as she blocked Fishlegs from making any move towards the strange portal.

"It is best that you humans remain here lest you be barred from your own home as I was." Tidus declared in agreement with the dragons. "But we must make haste. I will attempt to send back Hiccup and Toothless if I can." He then began to make his way through. As soon as his nose touched the threshold he sprang through it with a jump, and was gone.

"Come on, Cynder!" Spyro called as he dashed through next with the dragoness on his heels. Astrid and Fishlegs watched helplessly as they were left alone with their dragons who prevented them from going through at all.

* * *

"Please calm yourself, young dragon. I was not trying to cause you any distress!" An older dragon proclaimed as he flew up to a ledge in the cavern the portal let out in. Toothless clawed at the base angrily as he flapped his wings for more lift.

"Come on, Toothless!" Hiccup called from near the portal. As soon as they went through, Toothless dashed for the first thing that moved. Hiccup had jumped off before he fell off since he hadn't been able to fasten himself to the saddle properly.

The dragon who was there to greet them seemed surprised at the assault as he tried to keep out of the Night Fury's reach. "I merely needed your assistance! Please calm down!" He held his fore claws up defensively as to appease the younger dragon's fury, but Toothless seemed adamant to catch him.

Hiccup was now pulling on Toothless' tail trying to get him to stop. "Come on bud!" Toothless flapped his wings violently, and knocked him away. That proved to be what finally got his attention as he turned to his human friend on the ground. Hiccup sat up and began rubbing his left arm which is what he landed on. Any anger towards the new dragon was forgotten as he dashed over to his best friend with a whine. He looked at him with an apologetic whine which brought a smirk to the young Viking's face. "Now you calm down huh?" He stood up and brushed himself off. "I'm fine alright, but let's refrain from attacking before we know who he is okay?" The Night Fury agreed with a grumble and sat down. He'd let his anger get the better of him just now, and could have really hurt Hiccup. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

The new dragon saw that the Night Fury had indeed calmed, and he jumped down from his perch to greet them properly. "I am quite sorry young dragon, but I had no other way of showing Spyro how to use the Spirit Gems properly to make the portal." The new dragon apologized with a bow. His scales shimmered slightly in many light colors, and it appeared to have crystals in several places such as its tail and arms. The horns branched out and sparkled, the brightest being on its head. He then stood back firmly on his hind legs. "I would be more than happy to make it up to you of course, but I have to take care of something first."

He then turned towards Hiccup. "Human, where is the young Purple Dragon who repaired the portal?"

"He is here." Tidus called as his head formed through the portal.

"Tidus!" The new dragon shouted as he dashed to the old sea dragon. "I feared you may have met your end in that realm." He exclaimed with relief as he wrapped his craws around Tidus' neck.

Tidus chuckled as he pat the shining dragon's back. "You should know me better my friend, though I feared that myself at times." Tidus then sat back as he was released. "Myzark, it is good to see you are alive and well." He proclaimed with a tired breath.

"Perhaps my worry was not misplaced old friend. You have aged greatly since I last saw you."

Tidus chuckled again. "Like you have not my friend." He then took a moment to look over his friend, and had to admit that he hadn't aged nearly as much as he himself had. He quickly found his sight drawn to a scar on the left side of Myzark's face, and his brow furrowed. "Where did that mark come from? What has happened since I was last here?"

Myzark lifted his claw to his face with a somber expression. "Oh yes… I had almost forgotten. It had been so long…" He rubbed the old scar softly with a grimace from the memory. "It was retribution for a foolish act. I had been blind in my decision, and so now this eye is truly blind. I find it rather amusing that this in turn allowed me to see what it was I had done wrong centuries ago. I don't know whether to curse Malefor or thank him really." The dragon mused as looked to the portal.

Spyro had just come through with Cynder seconds later. "Malefor?" Hiccup questioned.

"What about him?!" Spyro asked as he stepped up. "Is he still alive?" He almost demanded in an angry tone.

Myzark shook his head. "As far as anyone knows he is gone. The guardians have been have been searching the area around Malefor's layer, but they have only found ruins." He then turned and walked over to a large blue crystal protruding from the ground. "They have been searching for you Spyro." Spyro and Cynder watched in curiosity as Myzark walked upright so easily.

Spyro looked at Hiccup and then back at Myzark. "What's going on?"

"What happened after we stopped Malefor?" Cynder added in.

"A great many things young dragons; many wondrous things." Myzark informed with a musical tone. "The worlds are coming together again at last!"

"What of the Dream Weavers Myzark?" Tidus asked with an excited tone. "Have you had any word from them?"

"Oh yes my friend. Lateef is still alive if you'll believe it." He held his claws up around the crystal and it shined brightly in response. "All of the home worlds have already come together, even Avalar and the Dragon City, their portals have returned as well. It is only branch worlds such as Midgard here that need reconnecting. I believe with time, they too will reconnect naturally." He looked over the crystal a moment before letting out a laugh. "Ah, that's that then." He turned to his guests. "I have called the guardians. Volteer is on his way to come and get you both."

Hiccup and Toothless now looked more confused than ever. "Okay… where are we?" He finally asked as he crossed his arms.

"Yes, I'm happy that the Dragon City and Avalar are fine, but what is this place? Magic Crafters?"

"And why are you walking like that?" Cynder questioned as well. "Doesn't it bother you?"

Myzark laughed, and Tidus seemed to join in. "I suppose they are too young my friend."

"Yes it would seem." Myzark agreed as he took a few steps their way. "But let me explain young Cynder. You see there was a time when almost every dragon walked as I do. Some would remain on four claws by choice, but most grew to walk on only two once full grown. As you go through my home world you will see many dragons like me." He then turned to Spyro. "Of course you are also far too young to have seen some of the other home worlds. Magic Crafters has been cut off from the others for almost a hundred years now. The drifting of the realms that had been occurring for centuries was quickened a great deal when Malefor began his twisted campaign."

"Just who is this Malefor my friend?" Tidus inquired with a worried tone. His absence left many unknowns about his home.

"Malefor was a purple dragon believe it or not."

Tidus seemed surprised. "Another one? So another had come before Spyro? Why hadn't you reconnected the portals then?"

Myzark shook his head. "I did try my friend. I was as surprised as any other when I heard the great things Malefor was capable of. The myth of the purple dragon was sounding more and more real the more I heard about it. After many years of merely hearing of him, I got to meet him myself. Looking back on it now…. I should have seen what he was becoming that first moment." He recalled with a lamenting tone. "He came to me to learn of the crystals. Crystal dragons like myself are rare though not nearly as rare as the purple dragon, and so he needed a teacher. He refused to understand the true nature of the crystals, however, and lashed out at me in frustration. It wasn't very long after that when this home world was cut off, and I only knew of the beginnings of his terror until recently." He then let out a laugh. "But the strangest thing happened just after he left my tutelage. I was able to feel the crystals all around this portal, and had I not been so injured at the time, I may have been able to get it open for a short period. That is what led me to this new solution. Two dragons were needed to open the portal. Two dragons capable of using the crystals as I do. That is why I needed to show you how through that other dragon there. I had already established a connection with him, and I hadn't the power to do it again."

"This is wonderful, Myzark! Just imagine all of the realms that will soon reconnect."

"Yes, my friend." Myzark responded as he looked up slightly. Tidus, though a quadrupedal dragon, stood slightly taller than Myzark if only by a few feet. "Now, human," He began as he addressed Hiccup finally. "I extend my fullest welcome to you. You may very well be the first human to step in Magic Crafters in two hundred years." He raised his claw to the portal. "And now that this portal has been properly reconnected, I certainly hope you will not be the last. I have greatly missed the ingenuity of humans."

"Thank you?" Hiccup almost questioned with confusion still obvious on his face.

Myzark wasn't surprised though, and grinned. "You are still quite confused I can see it on your face human. You as well young dragon, but you are a curiosity as well. The dragons of your realm are quite resilient to adapt to do without the power gems as they have." He leaned down closer to Toothless. "Of course that adaptation did come with a cost it seems. After the worlds began to converge again you were the first dragon to answer my call, and believe me I made countless attempts. Your first use of the spirit gems must have been quite jarring. My apologies young dragon, and my thanks."

"So you made that weird blue glow last night?" Hiccup asked as he began to comprehend a bit of what was going on.

"Yes human. I had to awaken this dragon's power if he was to help Spyro here open the portal again. It was actually through him that I learned that he had fallen into Midgard somehow."

Hiccup turned to the portal in intrigue and saw the glittering letters floating at the top. Midgard, an old name for earth, was somehow one of many all connected together like the nine worlds. "This is amazing. I just can't believe that dragons like you existed. It's incredible!"

Myzark chuckled. "Indeed, but your realm was not so different long ago. The magics of your world were at one time some of the strongest found in the realms of Magic Crafters. Cosmos found a great deal of history in regards to you realm after the portal to Wizard's Peak closed. Those sneaky Wizrobes had been hording a library the size of which I had never seen before. I am sure you would be more than welcome to see it for yourself. No doubt Cosmos would want to know everything about your realm as well as Hexus."

"Myzark! Where is he!? You found him didn't you!?" A new voice shouted as a yellow dragon barreled into the cavern. He quickly found the young dragon he was looking for. "Spyro! You're alive! And Cynder as well!" He proclaimed in a jovial voice. "I cannot believe my eyes! First Ignitous and now you both as well!"

Spyro went wide eyed at that. "Master Ignitous?... he's alive?" He could have sworn he died in the fiery crater below Malefor's layer.

"Not quite, Spyro." Myzark quickly began to explain. "Through the crystals I am able to converse with many dragons. Ignitous has been made the Chronicler of this new age, and spoke to me of your absence in his records. That is how I knew to look for you in the first place, but I didn't know where until I happened up this young dragon here. It was quite a lucky chance to stumble upon you like I did."

Volteer gave a nod. "Yes it was. To think that you fell into one of the lost realms is simply astounding. Not only that, but the realms seem to be coming back one by one. Of course there had been legend about these realms and the portals, but I had never seen them before at all, and then Master Myzark here told me about all the different realms I had only heard about in myth… and well…"

"Yes Volteer, it is quite amazing." Myzark interrupted. "But perhaps you should take Spyro and Cynder back to the Temple now. I'm sure the others wish to see them, and of course they are probably tired from their journey." He certainly had no problems with Volteer since they shared a love for knowledge, but the lightning dragon was rather long winded even at times when he couldn't afford to be.

"Yes, I want to see Sparx, and everyone else." Spyro agreed with a smile. "Now that Malefor is gone, I want to see how they are doing." He then turned toward Hiccup and Toothless. "I need to fulfill the true purpose of the purple dragon, and help rebuild what Malefor destroyed."

"There's a lot to be done I imagine." Cynder added in as she thought about how much she'd destroyed under his orders.

"Yes, but I'm sure you guys will have help." Hiccup agreed as he looked up at the older dragons. "I'm really sorry about before."

"No, it was all just a misunderstanding." Spyro smiled as he turned back to Volteer a bit. "And now that we know what's going on, I hope we'll see each other again; as friends." He finished as he reached out a claw.

Hiccup took it without a second thought. "That's all I ever wanted to begin with." Hiccup responded back. "To meet new dragons, and get to know them as friends." He continued as pat Toothless' neck. The Night Fury trilled happily, and held out his claw like Spyro had for Hiccup. He whined as he reached out, and Spyro quickly took it when he realized his intention.

"You too Toothless." The Night Fury quickly reciprocated the gesture to Cynder who took it after a small moment of hesitance. "I suppose that would be okay." She responded with a feigned uncaring tone. She wasn't one for making friends if only due to her past, but her new experiences didn't mean that she was enthusiastic about it.

Spyro was amused by her response before turning back to Volteer. "We should go, before it gets late."

Volteer laughed. "Yes, but with the portal we will be back at the Temple before you know it. Although much of it was destroyed, we have made due with what is left. Its reconstruction has already begun. Let us go to the others." He then bowed his head to Myzark and took off.

"Return whenever you wish, young Spyro. I would be more than happy to teach you on the crystals." Myzark called as Spyro and Cynder left as well.

"This has been such a wondrous day Myzark." Tidus mused with a tired grin.

"Yes, and there will hopefully be many more to come Tidus. Come and draw from this Spirit Gem. You look very tired after being without for so long. You've aged beyond the years of Cosmos, and he is the Dragon Elder of Magic Crafters." Myzark declared with a laugh. "As for the two of you, a request… and a gift I suppose." The crystal dragon drew out a sack from a chest behind him. "I give you these." He proclaimed as he held it out to Hiccup. "Your realm's crystals will take some time to reform naturally, but I have arranged something to help it along." He pulled one out to show them. It looked like a slightly larger version of the gems, and was spikey all around. "This is a crystal seed. Now that your world is reconnected, you can plant these and they will grow into natural crystal formations like the one behind me. Use them to replenish the energies of your realm." He then looked to Toothless. "And you can use them to replenish your own energies. Now that your true abilities have been unlocked, I'm sure you will find ample use for them. As you continue to grow, you may find yourself able to do many things you never thought possible before." He then turned back to Hiccup. "And your realm will see a shift as well."

"Yes, it is my hope that the connection you hold with Toothless will spread through Midgard. Humans and Dragons should be friends, something I was only certain of after I met you both." Toothless quickly agreed with a trill and rubbed up against Hiccup happily. Trusting Hiccup was the best decision he'd ever made. Hiccup was his friend, his partner, and almost like his other half. Many of the other dragons in Berk feel the same way, and he just knew if all dragons knew what he did, they'd agree too.

"Thanks Myzark. I can't wait to put some of these in the village. I'm sure Fishlegs…. Oh man Fishlegs…" He just remembered how Astrid and Fishlegs were still back on the other side of the portal. "I better get back before they start wondering what happened. I wonder why they didn't come through too." He then pondered as he turned to the portal.

"Do not worry Hiccup. The dragons of your realm have grown somewhat skittish of the gems power as seen with the eels. You must give them time to adjust properly."

"Yes, Tidus is correct. Unlike this dragon here, they were far out of tune with the crystals. I only hope this will correct itself with the converging of the worlds again. I will hold you no longer though, please do not keep your companions waiting." Myzark explained as he gestured them off.

"I wonder if they'll believe me then? What do you think bud?" Toothless seemed amused by the idea as he walked towards the portal. He knew he wouldn't believe a word of it, and he really didn't get all of what he heard already. He did know, however, that Hiccup would, and they'd work through together.

"Do not be a stranger Hiccup." Tidus called.

"Yes, do not forget that you are welcome here whenever you please. Should you choose to bring friends I will bear no ill will." Myzark added in.

"Trust me, I won't" Hiccup answered. The two of them stepped through the portal with excitement at all they had seen.

"It's the start of a brand new dragon age after all…" Myzark mused as they disappeared from sight.

"Indeed it is." Tidus agreed with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they all live happily ever after, The End. But seriously, I like to think this is a nice ending that leaves just enough to the imagination no? Spyro and Cynder go back to what's left of the temple to rebuild with the others while Hiccup and company learn more about dragons and the lost history of their realm. I like to think maybe so old Norse myths could relate to when the dragons were around, the HTTYD universe doesn't always use Norse Mythology correctly anyway. I'd like to note a few things for those who are unfamiliar with the ORIGINAL Spyro series. (First 3 games)  
> TLoS is NOT the original spyro series. In said series, Spyro is from the Artisan home, not raised by dragonflies. (As an egg, I figured he had to be laid somewhere.) Second, dragons in TLoS series are characterized by their eye color which represents their element. I made Cynder a poison dragon because she has green eyes. Sparx's original role in the series was as Spyro's HP indicator, and was, in fact, his companion. (I honestly find his purpose somewhat useless in TLoS games) BTW siblings can be companions too. I was just trying to show the idea of two different creatures treating each other as equals.  
> \- The original series wasn't the linear story TLoS has, and all but one boss battle is optional. The portals are part of the original games as well as the home worlds I mentioned before. (Artisan, Peace Keepers, Magic Crafters, Beast Makers, and Dream Weavers)
> 
> \- All adult dragons in these games stand on two legs while younger dragons are quadrupeds.
> 
> \- Spyro's dragonfly Sparx was a companion given to him for protection. (dragonflies were given to all little dragons apparently but only Spyro is shown to have one.)
> 
> \- Age is really hard to guess for both series but in the original dragons were hinted to live 10,000 years or more. I'm thinking around 1,000 or 1,200 years myself since I think it flows better with TLoS's timeline.
> 
> \- I would also like to note that Myzark, and Tidus are the only characters I created for this story. All others are cannon dragons from the games.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to explain any differences with spyro worlds and the HTTYD one, so if you're confused, it may come up later.=^-^=


End file.
